A Brisbane based satellite communication specialist has launched a new automated emergency SMS response service.Indigo Telecom has launched the service designed to offer emergency support and monitoring for professionals working in remote or dangerous areas.The new system, SpaceGuard, claims to be able to identify when someone is in trouble and then alert support teams about the need for help and support. The service is essentially an App that runs on a cellphone, monitoring the behaviour and location of the handset.It is possible to monitor where the mobile phone is located and alerts can be set to notify support teams if unusual activity takes place with the handset, or if the end user sets off an alert at their end.The new automated emergency SMS responder could be of considerable value to those working in high risk areas, such as journalists operating in a war zone. In Australia, the development could become increasingly popular with companies operating in the Outback, or in dangerous industries such as mining or oil refineries.SMS messaging services in the Outback are increasingly important to businesses that operate in the region. One of the issues with the Outback is that mobile network coverage is often not available.Researchers at Adelaide’s Flinders University have created a new virtual mobile phone network that allows mobile phones to communicate with each other by creating a virtual network where no actual network cover exists. The development could even lead to communication via mobile phones taking place in remote spots in the Outback free of charge.For businesses and organisations looking to contact large groups spread out across vast distances, SMS messaging is proving increasingly popular. Not only is an SMS messaging service easy to set-up and customise, messages are low cost, too. SMS also has very high ‘open rates’ so once you have sent a text message, it has most likely been read.
