In trouble? Press send

2004-04-22 14:10

Borrie la Grange

Johannesburg - Cellphones can now double up as panic buttons - thanks to a new SMS emergency system.

The SMSOS cellphone service, launched in Midrand on Wednesday, will be able to pinpoint a subscriber - who has activated the service in an emergency - to within a 100m radius.

According to Andre Potgieter, chief executive of Beget Interactive, who developed the SMSOS service, a subscriber chooses six numbers of people they can send an emergency message to.

Subscribers simply use the speed dial for the SMSOS number and within seconds the six numbers receive an emergency SMS detailing who and where the sender is.

Family members or friends can then call police or security companies and give the sender's location. Subscribers can also include the cellphone number of a security company, a reaction unit or paramedic service in their list.

Street maps will also be loaded into the system. This can then be sent to phones with multi-media message facilities and the sender's exact location can be pinpointed on the map.

An address will be sent to cellphones that do not have a multi-media facility.

On the net:

www.smsos.co.za

- Beeld