Emergency number 112 for mobiles
Submitted: Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 10:00
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CSeaJay
My kids are told this at school that you can call 112 from a mobile on any network, even if you are outside mobile range.
Now, in the RACQ magazine , an article reads that if you are “…out of mobile range” you can call 112 from anywhere.
This is not the case! Articles like this create the urban myth, and a belief by some that all you need if you venture on our outback roads is a mobile and that you don’t need a sat-phone or other emergency communication. Indeed my 15yo son believed what he was told at school no matter what I (only dad) said. The only way was to show him. We testing it on a recent trip to
Cape York. No connection. – message came up “no signal”
As I understand it, if you are out of mobile range then you cannot connect to any signal, whether you are dialling 112 or any other number. Articles like this may
well lead to a serious situation where people rely on mobile phones for emergency contact on their outback adventures
CJ
Reply By: Member - Boobook - Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 10:15
Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 10:15
CJ
The school and RACQ are "half right".
The real answer should be that if your mobile phone *shows* no coverage and you have an emergency that you should try to dial 112 anyway as you may get through.
The way it works is that even though there may not be any coverage from *your* carrier, and a great example here is Vodaphone, then if you dial 112, your phone will find ANY network that has coverage ( EG Telstra) FOR THE 112 CALL.
In other words 112 can make a call if you have no coverage, provided that there is coverage at that location by at least one other carrier. If you are at a location where there is no coverage by any carrier, then you can not make a call. The phone won't work with Sat's etc.
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Reply By: snoopyone - Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 11:38
Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 11:38
Yes what Boobook says is correct Signal from another carrier you will get through.
No carriers at all you wont.
One small thing While it is in Road Ahead it has the Govt site ACMA as an address at the bottom.
I have emailed them pointing out the stupidity of the article and the fact that people could die if they took that advice and relied on it.
However the artcle it was probably taken from on the ACMA website is correct and says what Boobook and I have posted here.
Probably a junior staffer who didnt know better passed it on.
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Follow Up By: CSeaJay - Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 12:16
Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 12:16
The article was incorrectly taken from ACMA website.
The website clearly states that one can dial it from "anywhere where there is covarage" meaning it is across all carrieres
whereas the article states that it can be dialled from anywhere even if "you are out of mobile range" which is very misleading
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Follow Up By: snoopyone - Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 14:53
Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 14:53
Hmmm Didnt I say that it Didnt perhaps express it quite so
well
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Follow Up By: CSeaJay - Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 17:03
Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 at 17:03
OK reword
YES the article was incorrectly taken from the website
Hmmm
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