112 vs 999
in [UK Mobile]
|
From: Theo Markettos on 19 May 2010 14:56 Zaz <zaz(a)zaz.zaz> wrote: > Garbage. The reason for 112's existence is so that all EU member states > have a universal emergency number. It makes no sense at all to have two > emergency numbers work in different ways. One difference is that many phones will allow you to dial 112 with the keypad locked, while other emergency numbers require the keypad to be unlocked. (I have no idea if there is country-specific firmware to also allow national numbers) Theo
From: Woody on 19 May 2010 16:00 On a recent re-run of this topic a comment was made that many modern UK mobiles will actually dial 112 even when you input 999. This is to make sure that you get the Emergency Operator wherever you are in Europe. It would be no good dialling 999 at the scene of a road accident in France and get through to a UK operator, whereas 112 will always get you to the local lot - whether or not they speak English is another matter altogether! 112 and 999 are also (allegedly) the only numbers that can be dialled without a SIM card in the phone. There are also (allegedly) moves afoot to enact cross-service coupling such that if you dial 112/999 when out of range of your own SP the phone will roam onto any network it can find to complete the call. -- Woody harrogate three at ntlworld dot com
From: Tim Downie on 19 May 2010 16:48 Woody wrote: > There are also (allegedly) moves afoot to enact cross-service > coupling such that if you dial 112/999 when out of range of your own > SP the phone will roam onto any network it can find to complete the > call. No longer allegedly. Been that way since the last quarter of last year (or thereabouts). Tim
From: Whiskers on 19 May 2010 16:52 On 2010-05-19, Zaz <zaz(a)zaz.zaz> wrote: > On Wed, 19 May 2010 16:41:03 +0100, Whiskers <catwheezel(a)operamail.com> > wrote: >> Some 'smartphones' are now capable of identifying their own location to >> a certain extent, the best probably using an integrated GPS receiver and >> mapping application. I don't know if the emergency operator has any way >> of tapping into that information as yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if >> the emergency services are investigating the possibilites. > > There was a story about someone in America that accidentally called 911 > from a mobile phone that he had stolen. He was selling drugs and the > operator could hear the conversation and was able to give the police the > caller's exact location. > > It didn't say how this was done but I imagine it must be through GPS. I > can't imagine mobile manufacturers didn't consider the possibility of > allowing GPS coordinates to be sent when an emergency call is made. > Unless there were privacy concerns I can't think why this wouldn't have > been implemented. More likely an urban area with small 'cells' and the cops knew how to spot a dealer in action, or knew him by sight already, or possibly locked on to the signal from his handset. In analogue days they could probably listen to the actual conversation using a simple 'scanner' (as could journalists hounding careless 'celebs'). "Geolocation" currently requires deliberate activation of the equipment and software, and an internet connection to a suitable web site to 'publish' the information. Of course if a thief unwittingly steals a handset that is already so connected ... -- -- ^^^^^^^^^^ -- Whiskers -- ~~~~~~~~~~
From: Zaz on 19 May 2010 19:06
On Wed, 19 May 2010 19:56:50 +0100, Theo Markettos <theom+news(a)chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote: > One difference is that many phones will allow you to dial 112 with the > keypad locked, while other emergency numbers require the keypad to be > unlocked. > > (I have no idea if there is country-specific firmware to also allow > national numbers) When I had one of Nokia early phones (had the original 'snake' game) if the keypad was locked and I dialled 999 or 112 it would give me the option to call it, like on all phones. When I went on Spain on holiday I tried it again and it would only do it for 112, not 999. Somehow the phone 'knew' what the emergency numbers were for the country I was in. It seems this feature doesn't exist in new Nokia phones though. |