Einstein Wireless Becomes First Wireless Carrier to Support and Test Cellular Emergency Broadcast Alerts; Einstein Wireless and CellCast Communications Successfully Conduct Tests as Part of FEMA Pilot Program.APPLETON, Wis. -- Einstein Wireless, a Wisconsin-based wireless carrier, is the first wireless carrier in the nation to successfully test a cell broadcast system that will alert people about natural disasters, terrorist attacks, chemical explosions, wildfires and other life-threatening events. Einstein Wireless has partnered with Houston-based CellCast Communications, in cooperation with a Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency responsible for coordinating emergency planning, preparedness, risk reduction, response, and recovery. The agency works closely with state and local governments by funding emergency programs and providing technical (FEMA FEMA, n.pr See Federal Emergency Management Agency. ) pilot program covering a group of states, to demonstrate cell broadcast as a viable component of an emergency alert system. Einstein Wireless is the cell broadcast carrier capable of transmitting emergency alerts across most of Wisconsin, while CellCast Communications supplies the equipment to support the broadcast and demonstrates that cell broadcast technology is feasible across the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . In addition to FEMA observing the Wisconsin pilot test, emergency management representatives from the office of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. Mayor Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born 14 February 1942) is an American businessman, and the founder of Bloomberg L.P., currently serving as the Mayor of New York City. He was a general partner at Salomon Brothers before founding the financial software service company in 1981. also observed the cell broadcast demonstration that took place in late July. "Cell broadcasting is the quickest and most efficient method to alert people of an approaching disaster and to direct people toward safety," said Greg Selig, senior director of operations and engineering at Einstein Wireless. "We are proud to be the first wireless carrier to successfully conduct emergency broadcast trials and will continue to work toward delivering this critical service to the people in Wisconsin." "The emergency alert process has remained unchanged for more than 60 years, while technology has evolved exponentially ex·po·nen·tial adj. 1. Of or relating to an exponent. 2. Mathematics a. Containing, involving, or expressed as an exponent. b. ," said John Altamura, president of Einstein Wireless. "Our partnership with CellCast Communications allows us to bring to life the most technology-advanced way of alerting people about emergency situations. We hope our success in this FEMA pilot program is an example of the kind of advanced services we can provide Wisconsin, and what can be done in other areas across the country." About Cell Broadcasting Cell broadcast uses a feature already built into most cell phones that enables a government entity to simultaneously send an emergency message to large numbers of cell phones, and only to those in the specific geographically threatened area. The alert message is transmitted over a portion of bandwidth that is minimally used in normal cell calling, therefore not subject to degradation of normal cell phone use during a public emergency situation. "We commend FEMA for closely evaluating cell broadcast technology, which is already used in several countries, as part of the next generation of America's emergency alert system," said Tim Ayers, spokesman for Cellular Emergency Alert Systems Association, an international citizens group advocating use of mobile devices for public warnings. "Since the technology exists and simply awaits activation, it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a for federal, state and local entities to turn on the switch." While cell broadcast technology is beginning to be tested in the United States, it is a proven capability in other countries. In May 2005, South Korea became the first country to turn on a nationwide cell-based emergency system; and in September, the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community will launch its commitment to cell broadcasting with an evacuation demonstration in Amsterdam. For additional information on cell broadcasts, visit www.ceasa-int.com. About Einstein Wireless Einstein Wireless, the premier Wisconsin wireless carrier, provides exceptional voice and data services to local communities with a personal touch and at a competitive price. With customer care and business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets based in Little Chute chute 1. a device used to restrain large animals especially cattle and horses. It is a small stall into which the animal is encouraged to walk. The head is fixed, in cattle by a head bail, the back is closed and the animal can then be examined or treated. , Wis., Einstein Wireless offers a range of post-pay and pay-as-you-go service plans. The company's signature service plans are their Unlimited Minutes national, regional and local plans that give consumers truly unlimited talk time at the lowest cost of any carrier. For more information about Einstein Wireless visit www.einsteinwireless.net. About CellCast Communications CellCast is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. currently based in Houston, Texas “Houston” redirects here. For other uses, see Houston (disambiguation). Houston (pronounced /'hjuːstən/) is the largest city in the state of Texas and the . CellCast Communications offers a revolutionary cellular-based system that instantly broadcasts messages to large numbers of people specific to a geographical area via cellular telephones. A myriad of commercial applications creates revenue-producing opportunities for carriers, content developers and distributors, local agencies, institutions, and businesses to deliver notices to users in a particular region. Visit www.cellcastcorp.com for more information. |
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