{"id":403774,"date":"2020-12-21T09:33:08","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T14:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/?p=403774"},"modified":"2020-12-21T09:33:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T14:33:08","slug":"supporting-norad-and-santa-claus-tops-verizons-wish-list-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/supporting-norad-and-santa-claus-tops-verizons-wish-list-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting NORAD and Santa Claus Tops Verizon\u2019s Wish List in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nWith limited onsite volunteer support due to COVID-19, Verizon shares Apple iPhones with patented One Talk technology to create virtual call center
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BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Dec. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As the Christmas holiday approaches, Verizon is proud to announce its support of the North American Aerospace Defense Command\u2019s (NORAD) Santa tracking program for the 18th straight year. NORAD knows all about the importance of Santa\u2019s whereabouts. For more than six decades, NORAD Tracks Santa (NTS) has helped children around the globe follow Santa as he and his team of world-class reindeer fly from Sydney, Australia to New York City, and everywhere in between.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To help expand support for volunteers who want to help in a COVID-19 environment, Verizon announced its role in the sharing of Apple iPhones preloaded with One Talk Service from Verizon. One Talk establishes a virtual hotline allowing NTS volunteers to operate as if they were inside the NORAD call center. Small shifts of onsite volunteers at NORAD and offsite volunteers utilizing the One Talk technology will begin taking calls at 6 a.m. on Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a great source of joy for the Verizon team to volunteer alongside our partners at NORAD to help carry on the tradition of tracking Santa Claus’ whereabouts around the world,\u201d said Andr\u00e9s Irlando, senior vice president and president, Public Sector and Verizon Connect at Verizon. \u201cFor 18 consecutive years, it has been an honor to support NORAD and their mission to help children believe in the magic of Santa Claus and the holiday season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid the global pandemic, NORAD\u2019s leadership has shown great care in requiring a different approach from the normally spirited, heavily populated call center, with an emphasis on protecting the health and safety of volunteers. NORAD recently announced shifts that will be open to personnel and families within the command, with much smaller groups fielding calls compared to previous years. Historically, nearly 1,500 people over 20 hours have participated in call center operations, fielding more than 154,000 phone calls, beginning at 6 a.m. Eastern on Christmas Eve. <\/p>\n

\n What do you want to know about Santa?<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n

Verizon employees and other government and corporate partners are proud to again stand with NORAD to make this magic possible. While the volunteer infrastructure looks a little different in 2020, children who contact NORAD on December 24 can still ask questions like: <\/p>\n