Wireless SMS Based Emergency Alert System Going Live this Month

[dgstorm]

All four major cell phone carriers have now signed on to the U.S. federal government's Wireless Emergency Alert system. That new new wireless SMS based emergency alert service is set to go live this month. The new service will cover 97 percent of active mobile users, with a "point-to-multipoint system" that targets at-risk subscribers. The service will include alerts from the National Weather Service, FEMA, FCC and Department of Homeland Security. It works by sending location-based messages of 90 characters or less to nearby handsets in the event of an imminent meteorological or other threat. The mostly opt-out service will also accommodate AMBER and Presidential alerts.

Thanks for the tip, Str8Aro!

Source: Engadget