Broadcast Message Center solution allows federal, state and local public safety authorities to
urgently reach people on the go
Paris, November 16, 2010 – Taking advantage of the most common item people carry with them
– a mobile phone – service providers can now support government agencies in immediately
contacting citizens to save lives and property in the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster,
inclement weather or highway accident. Using a new solution created by Alcatel-Lucent that
interfaces with the service provider’s intelligent networks, millions of mobile users can be
notified within seconds when there is a national, state or local emergency.
Alcatel-Lucent’s Broadcast Message Center (BMC) enables service providers to send targeted
government agency text alerts to mobile users based on their location. Similar to the technology
used to send an emergency broadcast over cable television, the Broadcast Message Center
extends emergency alerting to mobile users within a geographic area as large as a nation or as
small as a few city blocks. Hence, the platform ensures critical warnings and information reach
the right people at the right time.
“With more than 70 percent of the world population having access to mobile phones, they are
the perfect device in an emergency for notifying a maximum number of people in a minimum
amount of time,” said Scott Ellison, VP Mobile & Consumer Connected Platforms at IDC.
“Leveraging cell broadcast technology, Alcatel-Lucent Broadcast Message Center solution
bypasses network congestion that typically accompanies emergencies to immediately deliver
warnings of dangers when seconds count and the public’s safety is at risk.”
In advance trials and commercial deployments with a variety of major service providers
worldwide, the Broadcast Message Center allows carriers to comply with emergency alerting
standards in the United States and Europe to enable emergency management to rapidly
disseminate warnings and safety information to citizens. In August, Sprint and the California
Emergency Management Agency announced they were using Alcatel-Lucent’s Broadcast
Messaging Center in a pilot public safety program being conducted in San Diego County. In
October, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced Alcatel-Lucent’s Broadcast
Message Center was used in a live Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) pilot in the Tampa
area.
“With the public increasingly relying on cell phones, it becomes mission critical for service
providers to be able to share critical, time-sensitive information over these devices during times
of crisis,” said Morgan Wright, Vice President Global Mission Critical Communication Solutions for
Alcatel-Lucent. “The Broadcast Message Center enables service providers to do this so that its
subscribers can be warned and informed during emergencies.”
Acting as secure interface between an emergency management agency and the service
provider’s network, the Broadcast Message Center receives emergency alerts and broadcasts
them to cell sites serving mobile customers in a specific geographic area. For instance, targeted
text alerts can be sent to:
• Residents threatened by tsunamis, wildfire, tornadoes, floods, etc.
• Students, faculty and parents to inform them of a school or campus emergency
• Consumers and office workers at an airport, shopping mall or business complex to
evacuate the location due to a gas leak or suspicious package
• Citizens informing them of an Amber Alert
• Commuters to avoid a chemical spill, highway accident or road closure
Text alerts include a dedicated vibration cadence and audio attention signal for wireless
customers with hearing or vision disabilities. The Broadcast Message Center enables service
providers to easily manage message and delivery priorities, scheduling and re-transmission
needs, which is key in crisis situations.
The flexibility and scalability of the Broadcast Message Center enables service providers to use it
beyond emergency alerting for commercial broadcast services. It provides advertisers and
interest groups alternative targeted marketing channels, offers enterprises and municipalities an
effective means to communicate with their mobile workforce, while also helping service
providers offer opt-in subscriber services that generate new sources of revenue.
The rapid advancements in wireless technology make it an important tool for first responders,
emergency management and the public during times of crisis. Alcatel-Lucent’s core competence
in wireless technology, end-to-end service offerings and defining standards and interface
specifications enable it to play a leading role in providing mission critical communication
solutions for the public safety sector. For more information about Alcatel-Lucent’s public safety
solutions: go to http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/publicsafety.
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) is the trusted transformation partner of service providers, enterprises,
strategic industries such as defense, energy, healthcare, transportation, and governments worldwide, providing
solutions to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. A leader in fixed, mobile and
converged broadband networking, IP and optics technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent leverages the
unrivalled technical and scientific expertise of Bell Labs, one of the largest innovation powerhouses in the
communications industry. With operations in more than 130 countries and the most experienced global services
organization in the industry, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with a global reach. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of
Euro 15.2 billion in 2009 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information,
visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com, read the latest posts on the Alcatel-Lucent blog
http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/blog and follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Alcatel_Lucent.
Alcatel-Lucent Press Contacts
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Alcatel-Lucent Investor Relations
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