Why CellAlert?
For more than a decade CEASa has been working to effectively educate and inform industry and governments globally that a viable and sustainable solution already exists within the wireless industry and all that is required is a global willingness to utilize a common operating system. This service, which requires a common software platform at the center to manage all stakeholders needs, is branded as CellAlert™ and is provided to each nation under license through the local CEASa Chapter. The stakeholders in delivering this global solution include; regulators, wireless carriers, government emergency response agencies, content providers and most importantly the citizens.
CEASa has established the minimum requirements that each National Operator must adhere to in order to utilize the CellAlert™ brand within that country. The following sets forth the fifteen (15) requirements of any CellAlert™ compliant system operator; the system MUST:
- Be intrusive,
- Be used for life-threatening events affecting a population group,
- Utilize devices that are an accepted part of everyday life,
- Be able to passively target ‘At-Risk’ geographic population groups,
- Be able to identify the nature of the threat,
- Be authenticable,
- Be provided without direct cost to the recipient,
- Be able to provide meaningful “action information”,
- Be able to deliver information to 80% of User Devices in less than two minutes,
- Continue to operate when the bearer network is at full capacity,
- Be harmonious with international CellAlert™ endorsed programs,
- Be able to offer multilingual instruction,
- Utilize existing infrastructures,
- Be passive with no recipient data bank required,
- Be cost effective.
Significant efforts are underway in many countries around the world to ensure this capability is in place utilizing GSM or CMDA/TDMA wireless networks. Those countries that have predominantly deployed GSM wireless networks are significantly more advanced in their deployment of Cell Broadcast services for both emergency as well as commercially viable applications.
The evaluation and deployment of Cell Broadcast services in North America is just now being launched through evaluation projects, commonly referred to as Project FirstAlert. These projects bring together representatives from each stakeholder group to test and evaluate solutions and then advance their learning to others within the respective stakeholder groups. The result of these evaluation projects is to refine policy, set new guidance documents and ensure compliance for all future deployments of Cell Broadcast within the boundaries of that nation, while maintaining global compliance with CEASa International policy.
The initial projects underway in the USA, are evaluating the current CMAS standards advanced by FEMA in the state of Florida with some key stakeholders. Currently CMAS does not comply with CellAlert™ requirements; as some of the key requirements of CellAlert™ are not met. CEASa will be working with Federal regulatory agencies to ensure that these deficiencies are addressed as future projects are deployed in the USA.
Canada has yet to initiate any such demonstration projects but this will be the major focus of the newly formed Canadian chapter of CEASa in the coming years, as Canada will need to align it’s emergency response services with those of the USA.
The CellAlert™ implementation will dramatically improve the means of mobilization during times of emergency and foster a stronger sense of national security. Resources will be deployed in a timely fashion with the same information in hand and the public will not be left waiting for critical instruction on what to do next.
CEASA formed the Cell@lert project to find technical solutions, and develop technology accordingly if it did not yet exist. CellAlert is the for-profit organisation which implements the actual technology that provides the Cell Broadcast Broker and other infrastructure to make the service actually happen. They follow the ‘rules’ as set out by the local CEASA association for that sovereign state.
