YOUR UNUSED SMARTPHONE CAN HELP RESTORE A VITAL COMMUNICATION LINK.
intERLab/AIT is collecting functional Android and iOS smartphones for deployment through Nepal’s emergency DUMBO network.

A trusted emergency partnership

The Internet Education and Research Laboratory (intERLab) at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and the Nepal
Research and Education Network (NREN) have collaborated on emergency communications since the 2015 Nepal
earthquake. During that response, intERLab’s Digital Ubiquitous Mobile Broadband OLSR (DUMBO) network was
deployed at four hospitals and relief camps to provide local connectivity where conventional telecommunications were
unavailable or damaged.
In early August 2026, NREN trained its team to deploy and operate DUMBO routers. The routers were subsequently
delivered to flood-affected areas of Nepal to support local emergency communications.

Donated smartphones are preconfigured with specialized software enabling voice communication over the local DUMBO network. This ensures that people in affected regions can maintain communication even when standard mobile and internet services are down. Furthermore, when an internet connection becomes available to the DUMBO network, connected users regain full access to the internet.

How donated smartphones will help

Donation Guidelines & Drop-Off

Internet Education and Research Laboratory (intERLab)
Asian Institute of Technology
Km 42, Paholyothin Highway
Klong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand

Contact Person: Mr. Rey Padilla

Mobile: 0849010487

Tel: 025246611

Email: rpadilla@ait.ac.th

Nepal Contact

Contact Person: Rajan Parajuli, PhD (AIT) | Executive Director,
Nepal Research and Education Network (NREN)
Mobile: + 977 9841 691520

Together, we can strengthen emergency communication for communities in Nepal.