My BLOG : Vivek Madan - Simple Mobile Cell Service Can Save Many Lives

There has been lots of frequent disasters on large scale across world. No one can imagine disaster hitting Japan who has invested heavily on technology - Thousands have been killed and injured so far, but the loss of life has likely been limited by three vital early warning technologies: a new earthquake alert system; an ocean-based tsunami warning system and a mobile phone disaster warning service.

Japan has the world's most advanced earthquake early-warning system, with more than 1,000 seismographs scattered over the country. Collectively, they detect tremors and allow for brief advance warnings not only to vulnerable sectors like railroads and utilities - so they can slow down high-speed trains and shut off gas lines - but also to the public.Tsunami warnings take longer to generate. Residents of the hardest-hit areas in Japan likely only had fifteen minutes warning.

Communicating alerts to mass citizens effectively has become critical.Little-known technology known as Cell broadcast , a GSM feature for that has been around for many years, is barely utilized and could be effective in saving many life in future.

What is Cell broadcast/Network broadcast :

1. It's totally unlike traditional, point-to-point SMS, in that it can be broadcast directly from cell towers to every phone in range and does not use more bandwidth when sent to more users.

2. In this way it's just like a over-the-air television or radio, where bandwidth requirements do not increase as more users receive a signal.

3. Handset can be set to have cell broadcast enabled or disabled.

4. Cell Broadcast allows messages (up to 15 pages of up to 93 characters) to be broadcast to all mobile handsets from those on a single cell to the entire network.

Linked to the fact that most people now carry mobile phones with them at all times it becomes the most powerful means of mass-communication available. TV and radio warnings only work if people are using those mediums, but messages to mobile devices are focussed, fast and effective.

Maybe we, as an industry, should make this feature more readily available, particularly to emergency services, and educate customers how to set it up, where necessary, and how to respond should an emergency broadcast message be received.

Its time that Indian government use Cell broadcast technology effectively to communicate mass information during disasters.