DIGITAL DIVIDE:
AIM TO CONNECT THOSE WITHOUT CONNECTIONS
Connectivity has become an essential good for society due to its capacity to provide solutions and contribute to economic and social development. Therefore, if we want to access equality of conditions for all the opportunities that the digital society offers us, it is essential for us to have the possibility to connect to this global network.
The lack of access to communications technologies is thus creating a severe social inclusion problem in the populations far removed from large urban centres. In these disperse, sparsely populated or difficult to access places, the terrestrial communications infrastructures have not been deployed.
The problem of this digital divide, which inhibits the empowerment of all citizens equally, democratic access to information technologies and push to promote inclusion and equality, is not exclusive to developing regions, rather it can be found in any European country.
QUALITY RESIDENTIAL
SATELLITE INTERNET
IN SPAIN
In 2018 HISPASAT entered into an agreement with Eurona to offer a Ka band connectivity solution via satellite, which is comparable to other technological alternatives in terms of quality and price. This agreement between the two companies opened a democratic pathway to Internet access in Spain, which guarantees the right of all people to be connected to a minimum of 30 Mbps wherever they are and wherever they live, as is set forth in the objectives Digital Agenda of the European Union, as this satellite solution reaches where others do not, thereby promoting the digital inclusion of the entire population.
RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS BROADBAND
IN BRAZIL AND MEXICO
In October 2018, HISPAMAR and Gilat announced their alliance to offer high quality satellite broadband connectivity services for both the residential and business markets, with the aim of extending Internet access to parts of the country that are currently digitally isolated. The shared goal is to increase the reach of Brazilian Internet providers’ networks, thereby making citizens’ access to a quality service easier, contributing to reducing the digital divide and promoting development in Brazil. Similarly, HISPASAT and DISH reached an agreement to offer a new high-quality broadband satellite service in Mexico through ON Internet. The new service will be focused on the residential and corporate markets, in order to extend Internet access to large areas of the country.
INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE EQUALITY AND ENCOURAGE PROFESSIONS FOR WOMEN
Throughout 2018, HISPASAT continued to encourage professions for women, in line with the commitments made in the company’s CSR Policy about the development of people and the community, and specifically about promoting education and equality.
HISPASAT “FEMALE ENGINEER” SCHOLARSHIP
In 2018, the company held the II HISPASAT “Female Engineer” Scholarship to aid a female student with an excellent academic record to study an aerospace related Master’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering or Telecommunications. In addition to encouraging the presence of women in the technological field, this annual scholarship aims to contribute to the professional development of women in these studies, as well as to increase the number of women involved in the space sector. The student chosen by the panel was Margarita Martínez Coves, a final-year Telecommunications Engineering student at the University of Alicante.
In 2018, HISPASAT was awarded the “Talent without gender” prize in the SME category, organised by the Spanish Association of Executives and Directors (EJE&CON). The company was singled out for its initiatives to promote and encourage diversity both internally and in the STEM field.
INSPIRING GIRLS AWARDS
In 2018, HISPASAT took part in the awards ceremony for the 1st Inspiring Girls Awards, which was held at the Madrid Club de Campo. This aligns with the company’s commitment to actively participate in activities that encourage the presence of women in professional sectors.
EQUALITY AT HISPASAT
At the internal level, HISPASAT’s HR management is based on fairness, from personnel selection, carried out via blind CVs in the first stage to focus on the candidate’s title and professional experience and to thus prevent gender biases; to the training and promotion policies established by the company, which are egalitarian. HISPASAT ensures that all the company’s professional have equality of rights, social benefits and compensation.
On the other hand, in order to promote equal employment opportunities for men and women, HISPASAT has a collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality to extend the implementation of an anonymous CV model in hiring personnel, and another with the Institute of Women to collaborate on a plan to incorporate female interns in technological companies.
SUPPORT FOR CULTURAL DISSEMINATION, EDUCATION AND SPORTS
APOLLO COMPETITION
In 2018, HISPASAT sponsored a new edition of the Apollo Space Competition, aimed at 14 to 16 year old students from Spain and Latin America.
The purpose of this competition, which is about space research and exploration, is to break down the existing barriers between science and humanities, to promote communication between the two fields, and to encourage students to have a collaborative attitude and work in teams. One prize is granted in each of the following six categories: research, fiction/comic, robotics, multimedia, artistic and experimental. Teams from any secondary education centre in Spain or Latin America can take part, or those from any other country, as long as their entry is presented in Spanish or Portuguese.
HISPASAT will sponsor the prize in the research category, which this time has as its theme “Usefulness and benefits of satellites”. Participants’ projects should explain how satellites, be they for scientific, communications, meteorological or Earth observation purposes, help to develop science, society and different aspects of people’s daily life and well-being. The winner will be announced in 2019.
BARCELONA’S TEATRO REAL AND LICEU
In keeping with its support of Spanish institutions’ cultural dissemination, in 2018 HISPASAT continued to collaborate with the Teatro Real and has signed a new agreement with the Barcelona Liceu.
The company is giving over space capacity for live direct satellite broadcasts, allowing operatic performances to go beyond the walls of these theatres and reach other audiences in different parts of Spain and around the world.
In this way, the theatre’s artistic performances can benefit from satellite technology to overcome physical barriers and bring opera to other environments, thus making it accessible to a much wider audience.
FUNDACIÓN ATRESMEDIA
In 2018, HISPASAT continued its collaboration with the Fundación Atresmedia by financing part of the broadcast costs of the Fan3 TV channel for children in Spanish hospitals.
FUNDACIÓN ESTUDIANTES
In 2018 HISPASAT continued to support the Fundación Estudiantes with its sponsorship of the bilingual training campus “EstuCamp” for young basketball players in wheelchairs. The company finds that it shares many of the core principles of the campus, both with respect to its business activity, for which sports broadcasts are an important component, as well as regards values such as honesty, commitment and teamwork that are key to the pursuit of any sporting activity.
Furthermore, since 2016 HISPASAT, the Madrid Spina Bifida Association and the Fundación Estudiantes have continued with the wheelchair basketball school EstuAMEB, which makes it possible for disabled children and young people to play this sport and encourages their integration and normalisation, supporting the development of their game and their psychomotor skills, as well as their social and educational capabilities.
EMERGENCIES
AGREEMENT WITH THE UN
As part of the Crisis Connectivity Charter, HISPASAT will collaborate with the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) of the United Nations when a disaster hits in America
Since 2015, HISPASAT has had an agreement with the United Nations committing it to provide satellite capacity and terminals to restore communications in natural disasters and emergencies, thereby assisting in the rescue and reconstruction tasks carried out by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations agency in charge of coordinating humanitarian aid.
The agreement, promoted by the EMEA Satellite Operator’s Association (ESOA) and Global VSAT Forum (GVF), guarantees that HISPASAT and the other participant operators will provide full operational capacity by means of their satellite networks to the point of reception, depending on their availability. The solution also includes ground equipment and reception terminals and the requisite training of those in charge of first intervention actions in disaster scenarios so that they are able to deploy the communication solutions successfully.
In 2018 the operator sent 10 terminals to UN warehouses in Panama to make it easier to rapidly deploy the satellite connection on the ground. Additionally, the charter includes free capacity for three months, up to twice per year, for humanitarian purposes during the work responding to disasters that occur in the region. In February, the Broadband managers taught an introductory course in the Arganda control centre to the members of the United Nations technical team responsible for installing the antennas to train them for this task.
OPEN ARMS
En 2018 HISPASAT began working with the NGO Proactiva Open Arms to provide them with the space capacity that their two boats, the Open Arms and the Astral, need. This is with a view to having satellite connectivity during their rescue missions for people in danger in the Mediterranean, who are trying to reach Europe to escape warfare or misery in their native countries.
This collaboration had help from Syntelix, a satellite communication services provider for the maritime industry.
RESPECT FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT
EARTH HOUR
In 2018, HISPASAT participated in the “Earth Hour” campaign and turned off the lights at their headquarters in Madrid, in a symbolic gesture of solidarity with the planet. This global initiative for the protection of the environment is promoted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Para sensibilizar y poner en marcha medidas para el consumo eficiente de consumibles HISPASAT continúa fomentando el consumo mínimo de papel. Se instalaron contenedores de reciclaje y se instalaron fotocopiadoras que permitían la limitación de la impresión de papel. A finales del ejercicio se lanzó la campaña “Hagamos HISPASAT + sostenible” con el objetivo de sensibilizar también en el consumo eficiente de consumibles.
En Brasil, se trabaja para maximizar el uso de aguas pluviales en el nuevo centro de control de Serviente.
SOLIDARITY
SPONSORSHIPS
SOLIDARITY SPONSORSHIPS
Once again HISPASAT has supported various social projects and taken part in solidarity initiatives. The company renewed its commitment to UNICEF’s “Multiply for Children” programme and to the GAVI project for child vaccination promoted by La Caixa and an alliance of partner companies. In both cases the goal is to improve the lives of children in African and Asian countries with limited means, contributing to improving their health, their nutrition and access to education. In addition, HISPASAT collaborated with Acnur by making a donation towards the “Syria Emergency” programme, the objective of which is to contribute to alleviating the tragedy of refugees fleeing warfare in those countries.
HISPASAT also took part in a collection campaign organised by the Madrid Food Bank and, internally, in the same organisation’s Operation Kilo.
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© Informe Anual Hispasat 2018
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