Mobistar, Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour: partners for the Antarctic ICE Expedition

Brussels - Mobistar confirms today that it is entering into an exclusive partnership with Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour for their Antarctic ICE Expedition. Sam and Dixie will establish a world distance record for a non-motorised and unsupplied expedition in Antarctica. This great athletic performance fits perfectly with the high ambitions of Mobistar in the field of sustainable development: over the next 10 years, it wants to lower its carbon footprint by 50%.

Exactly 100 years after Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole for the first time, two Belgian explorers - one very experienced, the other young and promising - will attempt to bridge a distance of 6,000 km between November 2011 and February 2012 in a 100% autonomous and ecologically friendly manner in an area of Antarctica where man has yet to set foot.
Dixie and Sam will make optimal use of wind energy with a new type of kite and specially designed sledges. In doing so, they will not emit CO2, which is perfectly consistent with the ambition of Mobistar to halve its carbon footprint by 2020.
“The expedition is perfectly in line with our corporate values, our products, our aspirations as an employer and our policy of corporate social responsibility", says Benoit Scheen, CEO of Mobistar. “It is a unique project on a technological, human and scientific level. Here we have two Belgians who are ready for the adventure. We can be quite proud of this.”

Dixie Dansercoer: “Our vision matches perfectly with the approach of Mobistar. The real value of this sustainable cooperation lies in our common ambition to expand our horizons, to inspire and innovate.”

Both polar explorers will also look for new scientific climate insights in Antarctica by measuring fall winds. This unique dataset will enable scientists to validate, refine or re-interpret existing mathematical climate and weather models. The scientific research will be done in collaboration with universities from around the world. “Our expedition can demonstrate the importance of the southern ice as a climate regulator and even go a step further”, says Sam Deltour. “We will carry out measurements on the ice so we can gain further insight into the role of fall winds that circulate over and around the ice.”

Mobistar is taking care of the financial part of this expedition. The partnership does however extend far beyond the financial support. It is in line with Mobistar’s strategic transformation programme and will trigger a host of new challenges, both internally and externally.

For more informations: www.antarcticICE.be