Should there be a free SMS "999" ?

netwhizkid

I'd like to hear what people think on this, i've often been in places where the signal is pure rubbish and you can't place a call, yet you can send a txt, i ve often been able to send txts on my Nokia 3410 with just vodafone on the screen and no signal bars, yet i couldn't make a call, If this technology was made free eg. a "999" txt i am sure that it would save lives somewhere sometime. If this idea and a GPS tracker like they use in the US was built into all new phones it would make the Emergency services lives much easier but more importantly i am sure many a life would be saved.

What do you think ?

Regards netwhizkid

BobTheBeat

if im not mistaken, aren't emergency calls given higher priority by the network? Thus if your phone makes an emergency call maybe there is some way your phone can beacon to the nearest cell, letting it know what it intends to do, so the cell can extend its coverage?:-thats a bit of a long shot. But I would imagine,that the phones have an inbuilt mechanism for beaconing.

samo

Bob meaney you would be right there! Every phone even its an internal phone has to have the capacity to connect to the emergency services (although in theory I dont know whether it actually works) but this means it will connect via the 112 emergency services number worldwide if its dialled.

LegacyUser

Yeah I think he's right. You will see on some phones when there's no coverage "Emergency Calls only"; and usually the phone will go onto any network, irrespective of who your carrier is, to place the call.

And 112 is the international emergency number, sometimes 999 isnt recognised (by the phone)

Talliesin

Also, you can dial 112 on a locked phone, but not 999, 911, 08, 080, 997, 110, 0112 etc.

jesus_thats_gre

The mobile can only make a call if it has sufficient signal from any network.. If you are in a black spot for all networks, you won't be able to make a call. Simple as that..

sirlinux

But if there is any signal at all it will work, pull your sim card out and you can still dial 112, the call will go on the first network it finds, it also goes unencrypted.

jesus_thats_gre

Yeah I know this, I am saying if it a blackspot for ALL networks. There has to be some form a signal present. If not, the phone will not make a call.

sirlinux

Not many places in ireland left that if you move a few feet you get at least some signal on one of the networks.

jcoote

yeah i changed over to vodafone recently cos i wanted 3g and cos i couldn't get a signal in work (i work in a clean room)... anyway i do think there should be sms because its just another way to access the service and if say an ambulance needed to be rang in a crowded or noisy place it eliminates the "hello can u hear me" end of things and the delay of having to move to a quieter place to make the call

sirlinux

I'd suspect that a emergency text service would be abused very regularly by kids having a laugh.

sirlinux wrote:

Not many places in ireland left that if you move a few feet you get at least some signal on one of the networks.

Carrigkerry in Co. Limerick is one of those blackspot areas, you're lucky to get a signal from any network around there. But its mostly bog so there's probably little to gain from adding coverage.

The Motorola quad band phones can also dial 911 with no SIM inserted, but it probably wouldn't connect the call unless you were in the USA.