Telenor Connexion connects Amber’s solution to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the Caribbean

The global technology company Amber have developed a wearable tracking and tracing solution, connected by Telenor Connexion, to help the Jamaican government contain the spread of COVID-19 in the Caribbean.

Amber Group Limited (Amber) is a technology conglomerate, based in Jamaica with operations in more than 20 countries including India, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean. Amber’s philosophy is to enable social good through technology.

The Jamaican Government selected Amber’s solution for part of the country’s arrival protocol, requiring visitors and citizens to download and use the tracing app, in an effort to curtail and contain the spread of COVID-19.  

The connected solution helps Jamaica’s border control officials to slow down an influx of COVID-19 cases from arriving passengers by requiring them to submit a mandatory online health screening application.  

The GPS-enabled tracking tool requires visitors to upload their temperature and a video showing their location. In addition, users receive real-time data on the number and location of COVID-19 cases across the island, thereby enabling high-risk groups from meeting infected people.

By using Telenor Connexion’s managed connectivity solution, Amber gets access to over 500 mobile networks globally. Telenor Connexion’s Global SIM card allows the solution to be standardized, no matter where the product will be sold or used. The advantage for Amber is that they have one single point of contact for support and monitoring, one contract, one consolidated invoice, one API, one road map – for Jamaica or any country where it might end up being used in the future.

Dushyant Savadia, founder and CEO, Amber: “I am very proud of my team at the Amber Group, especially the effort and commitment it took to design, build and provide an entire end-to-end pandemic management solution to the Government of Jamaica, all done in a matter of weeks. 

“There were no blueprints and we had to ensure integrity, robustness and usability of the solution which is why several other Governments have since adopted the technology. We are grateful for Telenor's participation in providing their GSM telecommunications solution which helped in retaining connectivity to the wearable trackers consistently using multiple networks, which ensured no loss of data from the wearables.”

Paulo Vergos, CSO EMEA & Americas, Telenor Connexion, says: “Amber’s innovative solution is a great example of the important role IoT can play in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing the world today. It highlights how Telenor Connexion’s technology leadership can help reduce time to market, risk and cost. And, perhaps most importantly, it underlines how partnerships like this one with Amber can truly help people, business and society.”

Premier of the British Virgin Islands, Andrew Fahie, said in a statement that the new tech solution was a vital public health tool as the territory reopens to visitors. “As we look forward to the fuller expansion of our tourism industry’s controlled, balanced and managed reopening, such as the authorisation of overnight stays in the maritime industry, prospectively, as of 8th December, this system will also be helping us with the monitoring and tracing of visitors and helping us to build our Virgin Islands database.”

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Turks and Caicos, Cheryl Jones, says: “We feel that this solution will be a critical component in helping to manage the pandemic, especially as we move into the traditional tourist season to get us ready to host returning residents and visitors alike.”

Read more about how Amber’s connected solution helps the Jamaican Government to keep track of the pandemic and helps stop the spread of COVID-19 at telenorconnexion.com.