In today's challenging environment, NGOs and humanitarian organizations need reliable, cost-effective communication solutions more than ever. As uncertainty ripples across the sector, finding affordable ways to maintain critical communication channels with beneficiaries and field teams is essential.
In this article, we'll cover:
- The Power of Connectivity Completeness
- Understanding the Telerivet Android Gateway
- Use Cases: Android Gateway in Action
- Building Resilient Communication Systems
- Getting Started: Technical Setup Guide
- Remote Deployment Best Practices
- Telerivet: Messaging when it matters
The Power of Connectivity Completeness
Before diving into the technical details, it's important to understand what makes Telerivet's approach unique. We believe in Connectivity Completeness – providing a universal communications layer that works anywhere, with any provider, at a cost that makes sense for your organization.
Many organizations operate in challenging environments where traditional communication solutions fall short. They face the limitations of walled gardens, paying premiums due to geography or bundled features they don't need. Market consolidation has driven up prices in certain regions and left others underserved.
Telerivet's approach is different. We've created a flexible platform that separates channels from providers, allowing you to plug in different options based on performance and price. This is particularly valuable for organizations working in developing economies or remote areas with unstable communications infrastructure.
Telerivet enables organizations to plug into the best connectivity options for their specific needs – whether that's WhatsApp for richer communication, local carriers and aggregators for affordable regional coverage, or global SMS providers for international reach. You can seamlessly integrate and manage all these channels from a single platform.
The Telerivet Android Gateway unlocks two-way SMS anywhere – it's a universal SMS gateway that works anywhere with cellular coverage, requires minimal investment, and delivers maximum flexibility as part of Telerivet's comprehensive connectivity toolkit.
Understanding the Telerivet Android Gateway
The Telerivet Gateway App transforms an Android phone into a powerful SMS gateway for your organization. When installed on an Android phone with a local SIM card, it creates a bridge between mobile networks and Telerivet's cloud platform.
How it works:
- When anyone sends a text message to your Android phone, it's automatically forwarded to Telerivet's cloud platform
- When you send messages from Telerivet's web interface, they're sent from your Android phone
- All message history, contact information, and automated workflows are managed in Telerivet's web dashboard
This approach provides several unique advantages:
- Universal coverage: Works in any country with mobile coverage
- Local presence: Uses a local phone number from your operating country
- Low cost: Leverages local SMS rates and bundles
- Rapid deployment: Can be set up in minutes, not weeks or months
- No technical barriers: No complex integrations or coding required
It's worth noting that the Telerivet Gateway app can typically send up to 1,000 messages per hour and receive up to 6,000 messages per hour, depending on your mobile network. For organizations requiring higher capacity, connecting multiple Android phones to Telerivet can further increase these limits.
Use Cases: Android Gateway in Action
Remote Health Monitoring
A health program in rural Kenya deployed the Android Gateway to:
- Send medication reminders to patients
- Collect symptom reports via structured SMS
- Alert community health workers about urgent cases
- Distribute health education messages
The solution cost less than $200 to implement and maintained reliable communication in areas without reliable internet.
Field Team Coordination
An agricultural development program in Tanzania used the Android Gateway to:
- Send daily assignments to field officers
- Collect crop data through SMS forms
- Distribute market price information to farmers
- Coordinate transportation and logistics
The system replaced paper-based reporting, improving response times and data quality while reducing costs.
Improving Childhood Vaccination Rates
Charity Science Health (CSH), a GiveWell-incubated non-profit, demonstrates how SMS technology can dramatically improve public health outcomes. Despite wide vaccine availability in India, 9 million infants annually don't complete their immunization schedule. CSH uses Telerivet to send scheduled SMS vaccination reminders to parents.
Their implementation includes:
- Importing parent and child information including birth dates, language preferences, and vaccination locations
- Scheduling personalized reminder messages in multiple languages
- Using Telerivet's local SMS gateway integration to make the program affordable
The results have been impressive:
- Over 300,000 families reached in the first two years
- An estimated 24,000 additional children vaccinated due to the program
- Successful partnerships with Indian state governments to scale to potentially 2.6 million families annually
Radio Listener Engagement
Farm Radio International (FRI) found an innovative way to connect with rural African farmers across 38 countries. They needed an affordable method to conduct polls and gather feedback from radio listeners in remote areas.
FRI implemented Telerivet's platform to:
- Conduct "Beep2vote" polls where listeners can participate for free by making missed calls
- Send SMS alerts before shows to encourage listeners to tune in
- Store demographic information about listeners including location, gender, and preferences
- Gather real-time feedback from farming communities
The impact has been substantial:
- Over 2,000 polls conducted
- More than 700,000 SMS messages sent
- Over 1 million listener responses collected
- Critical agricultural information delivered to 200,000+ farmers
As FRI's Radio & ICT notes: "With Telerivet, we're able to impact a greater number of communities at a fraction of the cost and complexity."
Digital Community Hubs
The Norwegian Refugee Council's Digital Community Hubs (DCH) initiative demonstrates how mobile technology can transform humanitarian aid delivery. When COVID-19 struck in 2020, NRC needed to rapidly change how they delivered services. They implemented a comprehensive digital transformation powered by Telerivet's mobile communication technology.
Using Telerivet's platform, NRC was able to:
- Connect with local mobile service providers to send and receive messages
- Implement solutions for information sharing and feedback mechanisms
- Distribute cash vouchers and security updates
- Conduct post-distribution monitoring
- Scale operations across multiple countries including Uganda, Kenya, Venezuela, and Palestine
The impact was remarkable: NRC reached over 465,000 people in less than a month with a small team – a task that traditionally would have required hundreds or thousands of staff members. The platform has now been deployed in more than 20 countries, serving over 750,000 families.
Building Resilient Communication Systems
The Telerivet Android Gateway offers NGOs and humanitarian organizations a powerful tool to maintain critical communications while optimizing costs. Its flexibility, affordability, and universal coverage make it particularly valuable for organizations operating in challenging environments or with limited technical resources.
Remember that the Android Gateway is just one piece of Telerivet's comprehensive connectivity platform. Depending on your needs, you can easily integrate other communication channels – including WhatsApp, Viber, virtual numbers, or shortcodes – all managed through the same intuitive interface. This flexibility allows you to choose the best channel for each communication need while maintaining a unified platform for message management, automation, and reporting.
By following the best practices outlined in this guide, you can implement a reliable, secure communication system that supports your mission-critical work – anywhere in the world.
Getting Started:
- Sign up for a Telerivet account at telerivet.com
- Purchase a compatible Android phone
- Download the Telerivet Gateway app
- Follow our setup guide
- Start communicating with your communities and teams
As part of our response to the current funding challenges facing humanitarian organizations, Telerivet is offering special assistance to NGOs affected by the USAID funding crisis. Contact us to learn more about our NGO Relief Program.
Getting Started: Technical Setup Guide
Setting up your Android Gateway is straightforward. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you operational quickly:
1. Hardware Selection
While the Telerivet Gateway app works on 99% of Android phones (any device with Android 4.0 or higher), choosing the right hardware can improve reliability:
Recommended phones:
- Mid-range Android phones from major brands like Samsung, LG, or Google
- Phones with good battery life and reliable performance
- Devices that will remain stationary (not carried around)
Not recommended:
- Phones from Huawei, Tecno, or Xiaomi (these may terminate the app unexpectedly)
- Ultra-budget smartphones using Android Go
- Phones that will be carried around regularly
Most inexpensive Android phones ($100 or less) work perfectly fine for this purpose. You don't need high-end specs – reliability is more important than processing power.
2. Software Installation
- Download the Telerivet Gateway app from Google Play
- Open the app and follow the on-screen setup instructions
- Log in with your Telerivet account credentials
- Allow all requested permissions (SMS, calls, etc.)
3. Connectivity Setup
For maximum reliability, configure your phone with both Wi-Fi and mobile data:
- Connect to a reliable Wi-Fi network as your primary internet connection
- Ensure mobile data is enabled as backup
- Test both connections to verify they work properly
This dual-connectivity approach ensures your gateway remains online even during power outages or network disruptions.
4. Optimizing Android Settings
To improve reliability, adjust these settings on your Android phone:
- Disable Battery Optimization for Telerivet:
- Open Settings > Apps > Telerivet Gateway
- Select Battery > Don't optimize
- For Samsung phones, disable "Put unused apps to sleep":
- Open Settings > Battery and device care > Battery
- Click Background usage limits
- Disable "Put unused apps to sleep" (or add Telerivet to "Never sleeping apps")
- Disable Chat Services (RCS):
- Open the Messages app
- Tap the three dots menu
- Select "Chat features"
- Disable "Enable chat features"
5. Increasing Message Volume Capacity
By default, Android limits apps to sending only 30 SMS messages per 30 minutes. To increase this capacity:
- Open the Telerivet Gateway app
- Tap "Increase SMS Rate Limit"
- Install the recommended SMS Expansion Packs
- Grant all requested permissions for each pack
With all expansion packs installed, your phone can send up to 1,800 messages per hour (subject to mobile network limitations).
The Telerivet Gateway app also supports additional messaging channels beyond basic SMS:
- Send and receive long (multipart) SMS messages
- Send and receive Unicode SMS messages (for Arabic and other scripts)
- Send and receive multimedia messages (MMS) containing images, audio, video, or document files (requires Android 5 or higher)
- Receive notifications of incoming calls and respond to missed calls
- Send USSD requests to access mobile network services (like checking airtime balance or adding credit)
Remote Deployment Best Practices
For organizations deploying Android Gateways in remote locations, follow these best practices to ensure reliability:
Physical Setup
- Secure location: Keep the phone in a locked office, drawer, or cabinet when unattended
- Power reliability: Keep the phone continuously plugged in to electricity
- Backup power: Consider a small UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for areas with unreliable electricity
- Signal strength: Position the phone where cellular signal is strongest
- Labeling: Clearly label the phone as infrastructure equipment to prevent unauthorized use
Monitoring and Maintenance
- Credit management: For prepaid SIMs, set up a schedule to check and refill airtime
- Remote monitoring: Configure email notifications for connectivity issues
- Regular checks: Establish a weekly routine to verify the gateway is functioning properly
- Backup plans: Have a contingency plan for communication during outages
Telerivet makes it easy to remotely monitor your Android phone's status from your web browser. On the Routes page, you can see if your Android phone is currently connected to Telerivet's servers, as well as if it is having any errors sending messages. Telerivet also shows suggestions for how to improve the reliability of your Android phone.
Team Training
Ensure your team understands:
- The purpose of the Android Gateway
- Basic troubleshooting steps
- Who to contact if issues arise
- Procedures for maintaining airtime credit
If you have any problems when setting up your gateway, check out our troubleshooting guide here. For additional support or questions about implementing the Telerivet Android Gateway in your organization, contact our support team at support@telerivet.com.
Telerivet: Messaging when it matters
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“Our lives are a million times easier because of Telerivet. We're growing exponentially, doubling our reach every year... and it's Telerivet's technology that makes this all possible.” - MyAgro
"The user interface is very intuitive and detailed, making it easy to set up. The few times we have required technical support, or had a query about a needed feature, the response has always been quick" - Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
"One of the most important aspects of a tool like Telerivet is the user interface. We have hundreds of people across the region relying on Telerivet for their daily tasks, and we need to provide them with the most efficient way of accomplishing that." - Grab
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