Emergency telecommunications within humanitarian disaster relief operations1. IntroductionOn November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippine islands, triggering record sustained winds of 315 km/h. (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2013). The storm, which initially affected more than 18 million people, notably devastated large urban population centers in the cities of Tacloban and Roxas. On November 9, the President of the Philippines appealed to the global community for international support, particularly in the following sectors: search and rescue, fuel and telecommunications were identified as priorities (Government of the Philippines, 2013). Within 48 hours, in response to the government's request, the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC) activated and deployed personnel and equipment to support human assistance activities/disaster relief operations (HA /DR) in the field with the provision of voice and data services as described in their ITIL-based service catalog (ETC, 2013). The provision of these harmonized and predictable services within common operational areas acts as an enabler for the humanitarian supply chain and associated logistical requirements (World Food Program, 2012). The ETC, led by the World Food Program (WFP), is comprised of a network of information and communications technology (ICT) suppliers and service providers supporting humanitarian actors in the early stages of a disaster . ETC members include United Nations (UN) funds and programs, international non-governmental organizations (iNGOs), member states and the private sector. Its mandate: “To provide timely, predictable and effective information communications. Middle of paper communications and response in humanitarian logistics can be greatly improved and made more effective and efficient through the use of information. management systems, collaboration and coordination through organizations such as the ETC, together with project management concepts borrowed from private sector organizations. Such measures can significantly reduce the uncertainties and complexities of humanitarian logistics in emergencies. Aggregation of ICT service delivery has been presented as a strategy that can be used to reduce uncertainties and complexities by adopting the integrated format used by complex business organizations such as multinationals. To deal with the evolving and short-term nature of disaster response, a time series model can be used in demand and supply analysis to address changing needs over time. time.4. References5. Appendix