Vijayawada : Celltick, the world’s largest cell broadcast-based products provider and a global leader of Public Warning systems (PWS), announced today that Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) is the first Telecom Service Provide (TSP) in the State of Andhra Pradesh to support its CAP-compliant Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) that is being deployed for the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), Government of Andhra Pradesh.

This World Bank aided project for commissioning a state-of-the-art IPAWS, was awarded to a consortium led by Celltick, late last year, post an International Competitive Bidding (ICB) process.  As India’s first Cell Broadcast based emergency mass alerting system, it will deliver real-time geo-targeted warning alerts securely in over ten Indian languages during any kind of natural or man-made disasters, to subscribers of Vi in AP circle, as well as domestic / international roaming customers on Vi’s AP network.

Celltick’s CBC platform enables authorities to leverage the Telecom Service Provider’s networks by broadcasting location-based time-sensitive information to mobile devices in critical times. Immune to traffic loads and network jams which spike during disasters, Cell Broadcast based Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) – a type of emergency warning during extreme disasters has the capability to deliver emergency messages to hundreds of millions of people during crucial hours, without the need for mobile numbers of citizens in the impacted area, potentially saving lives.

On introducing emergency alerts in Andhra Pradesh, Kanan Babu, Special Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority and I.A.S.said, “We are very proud to be the first state in the country to implement Celltick’s state-of-the-art cell broadcasting Public Warning System (PWS) that can save the lives of citizens in the case of natural or man-made disasters. During an emergency, keeping the lines of communication open by sharing information in a timely manner is critical as networks tend to become congested. This system reduces our communication time from 24-48 hours as in the case of SMS to a matter of seconds prior to or during an incident. Andhra Pradesh, being on the east coast, is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters like cyclones, heat waves, lightning etc. The CAP compliant PWS solution from Celltick powered by Vi’s network will enable the State government to automate the alerting process and disseminate geo-tagged alert messages in near real time with minimal manual intervention. More importantly, on commissioning of this system, Andhra Pradesh will join the select league of countries like USA, Canada, Japan, Korea, Israel, UAE, Australia etc. to have deployed such a system. I thank Vi for their support towards this project that involves saving lives, and I look forward to the co-operation of the other TSPs”

Commenting on being the first telecom operator to extend their support towards the AP-Alert project of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, P Balaji, Chief Regulatory & Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “The safety of our users, while delivering exceptional experiences, is always our utmost priority including during any crisis. At Vi, we are always looking out for partners and solutions which are path-breaking and provide customer convenience along with safety and security. We are privileged to be the first to collaborate with the APSDMA and Government of Andhra Pradesh to leverage CMAS – a first-of-its-kind in the country- alerting mechanism. Based on the highest global standards, it will enable us to securely reach our users in a language they understand while also protecting their privacy, in times of emergency.”

“We are proud to deliver our state-of-the-art Emergency Mass Alert system, in collaboration with VIL, to the state of Andhra Pradesh that will benefit and protect their citizens.” said Ronen Daniel, CEO of Celltick. “As the world largest cell broadcast provider source and years of experience in sending out urgent warnings, updates, or instructions during critical times, we understand the importance of deploying such a service to a cyclone prone State like Andhra Pradesh. With an uptime of 99.75% and a fail-safe mechanism in place, we look forward to continuing to work with several other states and telecom service providers to further enable the safety of the citizens of India in times of need.”  

Celltick’s CB system supports advanced global standards including EU-Alert, EMTEL, ETWS, EENA, ATIS, amongst others. It is in-fact the primary mass communication mechanism used by several countries and enables governments that are looking for an integrated cellular communication system.