Some very positive details are emerging on the Emergency SMS (ESMS) service that has been running in the UK for over a year (launch plans were reported here in September 2010 – click here for the RNID info page) with the Telecom regulator OFCOM initiating moves to make it a service that mobile operators must support.
Media coverage has been a bit thin on the ground but the service is reported to have handled more than 300 emergency SMS’s and these have saved lives, helped deliver babies and led to the arrests of criminals. More than 14,500 citizens are now registered to use the service.
Here’s the adoption tranjectory:
I see this as a very positive indicator for the future success of 3G Video Emergency services.
[…] In regions where mobile data adoption is much lower this causes major problems as the volumes of in/outbound calls quickly jam/overload the networks. Because of this design challenge efforts should be made to educate on the use of SMS/mobile data services. Likewise authorities should be encouraged to develop their capacity in this area eg. by actively supporting Emergency SMS services. […]