Finland Wants Faster Text Alerts For Emergencies
Date: 07-Oct-05
Country: FINLAND
When a tsunami hit countries on the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, killing 228,000 people, text messages were sent to subscribers of Finnish mobile operators in the region, but the operation took several days since no procedures were laid down.
"Sending the emergency messages is now technically possible but rather slow, as the mass sending of text messages to a certain region has not been automated," the Transport and Communications Ministry said in a statement.
"The emergency message could be sent to cellphones located in a particular area, for example to warn of a dangerous (chemical) fallout or a natural disaster," it added.
Changes proposed by the government to data protection legislation stipulate which authorities have the right to decide to send messages and require phone companies to transmit them without delay.
The changes would come into effect next April, if approved by parliament.
More than 90 percent of Finland's population of 5 million have mobile phones.
