112 EMERGENCY

Thanks Allan. I was just thinking about this the other day.
You have clarified it.

As explained above the 112 is a cross network number that will pick up any

available network and connect.

BUT ONLY IF IN RANGE OF A NETWORK (ANY NETWORK)

No mobile phone will work if out of range of cellular towers despite some advice given.

Some of the dual mode Thuraya phones will connect to a satellite but only

them or the old Ericssons if a Globalsat satelilte happens to be passing.

( Most unlikely)
Have seen it said that if you leave your phone on Emergency services will find you faster.

This can be done within range of towers by triangulation but not by

emergency services

Would take a network tech to be able to do this if in fact it can be done.

Carriers do know which tower you are connected to however so you can be tracked.
NOT IF YOU ARE OUT OF RANGE.

Cheers

Graham, you say:

"As explained above the 112 is a cross network number that will pick up any available network and connect."

That's not entirely correct.

Both 000 and 112 are "cross network" in that if you are out of your provider's coverage but in another's coverage area you will be carried by that other provider.

112 is the INTERNATIONAL emergency number which must be used if you are overseas but, being "international" also works in Australia of course. However 000 is Australia's PRIMARY emergency number.

I am correct .

I was answering Richards question that asked what the number was for.

I took it he was referring to Australian conditions and using that number

Yes 000 does work cross network but that was not the question.

Cheers

Richard
It also works if there is no sim card in your phone.
Murray

Thank you all

So I take it that if you have a 3 phone and are in a telstra network the 112 and or 000 will be connected to Emergency services?

I had heard of it but didnot understand it.

Cheers

Richard

Yes Yes Yes

and also on OPTUS or whatever you manage to hook onto in the area you are in.

Cool, was easier to spell 3 than OPTUS,.... LOL

Thanks

Richard

From the ACMA site:

"Are calls to Triple Zero (000), and 112 free?

All calls to the Emergency Call Services are free of charge."

Wisey

Bit off topic - but what is "FA" stand for.

Phil

Not off topic really, First Aid,

Can I suggest you do a course, It's very helpful.

Last Sunday my daughter spilt boiling water on herself and I knew exactly what to do, straight away. The training made things simple rather than pannicking and not knowing what to do.

Andy

We were on about radio and mobile phones thats why I didn't pick it. I hate abreviations for the simple reason that not all knows what they mean.

Of course we did one. It was one of the obligatory things that we did as part of setting up the both us and the car for bush travel. It also helps when my wife was used to be a nurse. Still remembers a bit of it.

Its like the 4wd course we did. It should be obligatory. Now lets not go there!!

Thanks

Phil

It will also work on a PIN locked, PUK locked GSM mobile with or without a SIM card in it.

Boobook, you said:

"112 will work in any GSM/3G/NextG phone in any country with, or without a SIM card installed in the phone"

Well I did not believe this and so took my SIM card out and tried it. My phone (and I believe all phones) will not do ANYTHING without the SIM card installed except to display "Insert SIM card". Where do you get these ideas from? Try it in your own phone.

Also ACMA says: "000 is Australia's PRIMARY emergency number."

Why on earth don't you just access ACMA and get the true facts: .

www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_100575

Boobook,

You are correct, mostly. See below.

Allan B,

Can you tell us what phone you are using as it is non-compliant. It may say "Insert SIM" but try dialling 000 or 112 and it will dial and if you hit the green button it will connect.
Boobook's assertions about dialling 112 with keylock activated are correct, whilst 112 with no SIM or credit are carrier dependent (ie outside Oz, don't bank on it)
ACMA's site on the subject is confusing at best and wrong at worst. If you deal with ACMA, this will likely not surprise you.

OP,

112YES is likely a misunderstanding about the fact that you have to hit the green / YES button after dialling 123 to commence the call. Just dialling the numbers does nothing, obviously.

At the risk of making things even murkier...

Whilst it isn't documented anywhere to save confusion, if you dial 911 or even 08 from many mobile phones it will still connect, even in Australia.

Cheers.

Timglobal,

My phone is an LG TU550 and both you and Boobook are quite right. It WILL dial both 000 and 112 with the SIM card out. When I tried it before it did not dial, in fact the keyboard seemed locked. Clearly I was doing something wrong. Possibly pressing other keys before trying 000 had locked it up, dunno. Don't want to fool around with it anymore....... dialing 000 then terminating before answer is probably not good practice.

Soooo, my most sincere apologies to Boobook and yourself. Please send the Humble Pie and I shall eat it!

If the ACMA site is not to be believed, then from where does one obtain correct and authoritative information on this subject?

Alan B said "Well I did not believe this and so took my SIM card out and tried it. My phone (and I believe all phones) will not do ANYTHING without the SIM card installed except to display "Insert SIM card". Where do you get these ideas from? Try it in your own phone."

Just tried it on 2 phones and, yep as expected it worked on both. I also previously have tried the satellite phone without SIM and it works too.

Did you actually try dialling, they will of course say insert SIM.

Also timglobal, I think you will find it does work on any international GSM /3g network, it is part of the GSM mandatory standard, not an optional parameter that cariers can implement based on a marketing service level.

Cheers Alan.

Not sayin' nuthin more 'bout this .......... hard to speak with my foot in my mouth!

Think of the bright side Alan, one day you might be stuck in the jungles of Africa with a mobile with no SIM ( with phone coverage), you will always remember 112 .
:-)

Alan,
No offence taken, no apology required. Good manners always appreciated though.

Boobook,
112 roaming is (sadly) not universal or mandated - the UK for one still does not do it for UK sims, though is looking at doing it. If you're using a foreign sim it's a moot point.
112 no-sim varies wildly, but because some 98% of hoax calls (in Sweden) were from 112 no-sim they and many others are removing the legal requirement. Where there is no legal requirement, most operators choose not to for the same reason.

For the triv fans in the audience,
Whilst 112 is the mandated GSM emergency number, uniquely in Singapore it is only usable by roaming (not local) sims. I speculate that this is because it is similar to 8000-112-112, a reverse-charge call service.

Tim, I think you might be referring to the lack of 112 on fixed lines in the UK, they are taking some flack for that as it is standardised across the rest of the EU. 112 has been working on mobiles for a long time in the UK. In fact there have even been trials of 112 sms for about a year or so.

Hey Boobook,
You're mistaken I'm afraid.

The UK does have complete 999/112 availability on both fixed and mobile networks.
UK 112 Specs

It is also only just entering technical trials for 112/999 off-network roaming. Report on OFCOM 112/999 trials

Hmm another foot in the mouth for this thread. Apologies Tim.

That should have read "finger stuck in an artery". Sorry.

Perhaps if you did read it you would understand the topic.

Eg what is the emergency number in Italy?
Botswana?
China?
UK?
What is the emergency call number on an overseas phone while in Australia?

You say
"Buggered if I am going to do an analysis on what number to call."

That's the point of 112

If dialing 000 or 112 gets the same result what's the problem?

I don't go overseas nor do I ever want to, nor do I use a mobile. It's flat and always left in the drawer. We have radio etc in the car that is heaps more relaible than the mobile phone.

Indeed, vk1dx, but, and it's a big *but*, to operate an HF radio requires a bit nous and some effort put into self education.

That rules out an awful lot of people.

Have to agree with vk1dx.

The Australian 000 Emergency Number is designed to be as simple as possible to access help in an emergency It works from ALL phones on any network including overseas phones accessing the Australian providers. It is both the easiest to remember and to dial. 112 does Not work from fixed line phones.

Why complicate a simple clear cut system?

However, if in Rome, do as the Romans do.

At the time of the post I did not know that 000 was a cross network number and thought that letting people know about 112 may be helpfull. I agree that 000 is alot simpler to remember than 112 as some people above did not even know about it.I for one are now more educated on the subject and hope I never have to use it but will use 000 if needed.
Murray

Sorry Should have said that I am a ham.

The radios are for our use only. The UHF - anyone can use it though. I am an unlimited amateur operator and my wife knows how to use all of the radios. The satellite one as well as the HF. At least we can get Radio Australia when way out in the bush. A phone won't. There is a cheat sheet on the each one with emergency instructions.

What about VKS? I do not know how it works but wasn't that system supoosed to be simple to use? As honest question here. If it isn't then it needs updating so that in an emergency the young kids can call for help for their Mum and Dad.

Phil

VK1DX,

As a ham operator, I would have thought the need for unified international comms convention would be especially obvious to you.

If every ham around the world used any old calling protocol, frequency and modulations, then your HF SOS would never be heard...

Timglobal

Exactly my point. Its what we used to know as common sense. It should be standard. Or at least the system should be set up to handle anything like 112 as well as 000.

Just stick to 000. Okay??

Phil.

VK1DX,
On mobile phones in Oz, 112 is set up exactly the same as 000. If you use 000 overseas, your results may vary. Since you don't travel overseas, then this whole topic is moot to you anyway. :)

Background...
On a mobile GSM network (which includes all 3G networks and at least Iridium Satphones, despite what ACMA say) the *handset* is programmed with certain numbers that are "emergency numbers".
For almost every GSM phone in the world (except Singapore) this must include 112.
If sold for use in Australia, this must include 000 and 112. They may or may not for various reasons include other country emergency numbers.
These numbers must be callable by a user, even when the phone keypad is locked.
They may also be callable even with no SIM or prepaid credit, but this is a carrier / country decision. In Australia, all GSM networks allow this and will also carry emergency calls from other network subs.

Exciting bit...
The phone doesn't actually dial the number per se. It recognises the number as emergency and places a specially prioritised call. This category allows the call complete cell priority. It uses the carrier frequencies so even if full, the cell will flick calls to permit the emergency call. The cell will then if required continue to drop normal calls and increase power to maintain this emergency call.

Interesting bit...
Networks are able to assign certain devices (either by IMEI or SIM) different priorities, so if a major catastrophe occurs and everyone tries to call their loved ones the network will congest and many emergency workers uncontactable. However emergency services can have their phones given a different priority, usually below that of 112, so that they can access the network ahead of the great unwashed. I'm not sure if this is the case in Australia - anyone know?

I have always had 112 as a listed number in my mobile (i think a daughter set it up when she gave us our first mobile phone) - it used to be 'AAA emergency' and on top of the list, but it was likely to dial it if someone sat on my handbag. It is now a bit lower down the list. It is a Nokia, and just a few presses with a thumbnail on the arrow key, then OK, and 112 will dial.

Motherhen

"I have always understood that if you dial 000 someone will answer your emergency. "

- but ONLY if you are in range of a Mobile Tower.

Yep, but 012 works as well :-))

111 is the preferred emergency no for the old rotary dial phones, as it is a lot quicker than 000 (0 being the last digit on the dial, 1 being the first). So much for the Kiwis being ahead of 'Good ol Oz.' They must still have the old rotaries.

Ian

They had the 0 at the opposite end of the dial as I remember as always had trouble when holidaying here.

To use an aussie phone in NZ you had to deduct the number you wanted from 10 eg 7 was 3 only similar one was 5.

I had several and some of the push button ones were the same..

Long time ago and memory fading.

Had a collection of phones from several countries.

Could get some to work some wouldnt.

I'm going to appear a very large nerd here, but the reason 111 is used in NZ is a quirk of history, not logic.

Firstly, 999 is the UK and many formerly close dependencies (Sing, Malaysia, Honkers, etc.) emergency number. It's also the oldest emergency number (1937) in the world and it's number choice was largely to use the dial format of public phones.

In their wisdom, when NZ imported GPO equipment from the UK, they reversed the pulse direction so 0 = 10 pulses, 1 = 9 pulses, 2 = 9, etc. So with 999 circuits built in, the number had to become 111 to work correctly. It wasn't any quicker to dial on pulse phones. Cruel jokes abounded about it not being an accident that it confused Australians in need.

Bonus nerdiness. Sydney first had 999 in the late 50s, but soon moved to 000 as part of the national roll-out which only completed in the 80s.

Better than Stilnox, me ;)