29-Dec-2011
Release:15 Dec 2011
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – This Christmas Eve, Avaya, a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions and services, will help the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and its volunteer Santa trackers answer the one question on everyone’s mind: “Where is Santa Claus?”
From 4 a.m. MST on December 24 through the early hours of Christmas on December 25, approximately 1,200 volunteer Santa trackers will staff the toll-free 1-877-HI-NORAD Santa hotline, fielding calls from children of all ages inquiring about Santa’s whereabouts. Last year, the NORAD Tracks Santa operations center at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado received more than 80,400 calls on Christmas Eve from families around the world.
The operations center at Peterson Air Force Base uses Avaya’s real-time voice communications to help route and answer these important calls. Avaya Aura® software and hardware have been tested and certified by the Department of Defense Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) to ensure security and reliability for missions such as this — when failure is not an option.
The NORAD Tracks Santa program began in 1955 after a youngster dialed a misprinted telephone number for a Santa hotline, and instead reached a helpful commander at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Quotes
“For over 55 years, NORAD has answered the phone calls of excited children from around the world and helped them track Santa Claus and his reindeer. Avaya is a long-time contributor to the NORAD Tracks Santa program and is proud to once again help NORAD deliver some magic and wonder for the holidays.”
— Steve Derr, vice president of DoD sales and sales engineering, Avaya Government Solutions
Additional Resources
• Website: NORAD Tracks Santa
• Website: Avaya Aura®