Telia launches mobile phone alarm connected to SOS Alarm

With the push of just one button on their mobile phone, anyone in Sweden who has an accident, or has been assaulted, can alert the public SOS Alarm service, which can immediately see the location of the distressed person. With the new “Telia Larmanrop” service (Telia Alarm Call Service), SOS Alarm can also call back to the phone that has made the emergency call in order to monitor the situation and determine if it is a real emergency.

With the new alarm service, people in distressed situations, or elderly persons living alone, can get fast help in an emergency. The objective is to give people greater security in emergencies because they will know that help can always be contacted anywhere in Sweden on a 24-hour basis, all year long. The service also includes a personal alarm plan indicating the type of emergency assistance that should be provided, depending on the nature of the emergency.

“There are certainly many people in Sweden who can benefit from our ‘Telia Larmanrop’ service, but we also know that many people have an everyday life that exposes them to more risks than others. These people include personnel working with social services and home-help services, threatened women, politicians and car park attendants, as well as people working alone in general or at night. The service also functions as an emergency medical alarm for elderly people so they can also feel secure when they are outdoors,” says Richard Schumacher, sales manager for care-related services at TeliaSonera Sweden.

SOS Alarm can silently monitor the situation
Assume that a person has been attacked, or has had an accident, in a location where there is no available help. By pushing the alarm button on his/her mobile phone, an alarm complete with positioning data is sent directly to the SOS Alarm service. At the emergency service centre, the call is displayed on a computer screen and the operator sees who the emergency caller is and where the person is located. The operator also sees the relevant action plan indicating how the SOS Alarm should respond when an emergency call is made by this person.

The SOS operator can call back to the phone issuing the alarm – without the call being perceived – in order to listen to what is happening and to confirm that the situation is a real emergency. If the call concerns an assault or accident, the operator responds according to the action plan. For example, the alarm might be transferred to one of the regional communication centres operated by the Swedish police service.

Prepared for kidnappings
Telia’s alarm call service is also prepared for kidnappings. If a kidnapping victim makes an alarm call, the emergency call centre can continuously monitor the person’s position from the mobile phone to trace the kidnapper’s escape route and quickly organize an effective search process.

Facts about the service
The “Telia Larmanrop” alarm call service is a complete solution consisting of an emergency call response service by SOS Alarm Personlarm, a Telia mobile subscription, a mobile telephone with alarm function and GPS positioning, or a separate alarm unit with mobile communications (GSM) and GPS positioning.

*GPS – Global Positioning System