Guides

WA State Government consider SMS alerts over shark threats

In the wake of three fatal shark attacks within the last two months, the State Government in Western Australia are considering the idea of establishing a ‘shark hotline’ which will allow people the chance to send SMS alerts about shark attacks or sightings.

Local residents made their feelings on the matter very clear at a public forum in Busselton last week. Fisheries Department Chief Executive Stuart Smith has since responded to the calls from a concerned public.

“We are interested in developing a system that works best for our purposes,” said Mr Smith. “We will evaluate the effectiveness of the current alerts in place and use something similar or build an entirely new system.”

Smith said that he and his officers were considering a system which would be quite similar to the one which was established by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority in the area.

That particular system was designed to warn people who live in ‘at-risk’ areas about potentially threatening bushfires.

Norman Moore, the Fisheries Minister, was cautious but open to discussion on the subject when speaking to The Sunday Times recently.

“Such an option would usually prove useful to alert people of sightings when they were out of the water. However, if the research advice indicates it could be a viable and cost effective shark mitigation tool, the State Government will consider it among any other options identified by the review,” Mr. Moore stated.

The idea is certainly a very original use of an SMS service, and may prove useful if there was evidence that the spate of recent attacks was set to continue.

Professor Shaun Collin, from the University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute, accepted the merits of an SMS alert system, but also suggested that education on the issue of sharks is extremely important.

“Since there is so little known about sharks, their movement patterns and the influences of environmental cues on their behaviour, the Government could consider funding more focused research,” said Prof Collin.

It’s 30 years since Australia’s first mobile phone call

Nearly everyone in Australia has a mobile phone these days. However, the first mobile phone in Australia in is only 30 years old.

The popular mobile device first emerged in Australia in 1981.  The first call was made on the country’s first mobile network – Telstra’s new Public Automatic Telephone System.

At that time Telestra was known as Telecom, and the car handset device from where they made that very first call had a very straightforward name, simply – The Mobile Phone.

What was the first mobile phone like?

The first mobile phone weighed a hefty 14kg and consisted of a 45cm handset, a receiver stored in the boot of the car and an antenna on the roof: hardly what we’d refer to as a mobile phone today.

Only the most well off Australians could afford it, as it cost $5,000. Although the phone was big, it didn’t have much memory; it was able to store only a maximum of 16 numbers. Obviously, sending an SMS with the device was unimaginable at the time.

Unlike today’s mobile phones complete with MP3 players and hundreds of different call settings, the Telstra mobile phone alerted drivers of incoming calls by automatically honking the horn and flashing the headlights!

Before and after

When the first commercially-available hand-held mobile appeared in 1983, phone coverage was limited to three mobile base stations in the greater Melbourne area and only 1000 people could use it at once.

Much has changed since then. Today the Telstra network has more than 7400 base stations across Australia and 11 million users benefit from its service. SMS services and mobile internet were a revolution when they arrived…..who knows what the future will bring.

The great debate: Samsung vs Apple iPhone 4S

The on-going battle between tech giants Samsung Electronics and Apple deepened over the last few days when Samsung moved to embargo sales of the new iPhone 4S in Australia.

The legal dispute over phone similarities comes after a court in Australia temporarily banned sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 earlier this year.

The South Korean manufacturer has previously made attempts to embargo the new Apple smartphone in France and Italy, claiming patent infringement.

The two companies have been involved in a legal dispute over smartphone and tablet designs since April when Apple sued Samsung for allegedly copying iPhone and iPad models.

Whilst both parties make counter claims, however, Apple appear to be holding the upper hand having previously won pleas to ban the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany.

A statement by Samsung said, “Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free ride on our technology. We will no longer stand idly by and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property.”

At Esendex, we are not coming down on either side of the debate -  we love the S2 and the iphone 4 equally.  It is clear however that mobile usage is growing quickly.

Recent research from mobcity.com found that the average Australian will spend 35 minutes a day sending text messages. The number of SMS messages sent in Australia has increased dramatically over the last few years. In 2010, there was a 300% increase in overall SMS/MMS message use across the country.

With all this in mind the mobile phone race has never been closer.

Who do you think will win this battle of cool technology?

Infographic: Stats about mobile usage

As a country Australia is sending far more SMS messages than we were just a couple of years back. Below we take a look at some of the emerging trends and staggering figures that highlight the growth of mobile phone usage across Australia.

Did you know that in 2010 there was a 300% increase in overall SMS/MMS message volumes across the country? Everyone, from young children to old grandparents, knows how to send a text message today.

Figures compiled by mobicity.com show that most Australians spend 35 minutes a day sending text messages. In 2010, 8 million text messages were sent across Australia on Valentine’s Day. Teenagers send on average 5 text messages a day – 83% of all Australian teens own a mobile phone.

Half of these teens do not turn their phone off at night and a quarter of them admit to replying to texts they receive at night immediately: 10% of these teens admit to receiving text messages that wake them up each night.

But it’s not just young people who send text messages – figures show that Australian seniors send on average one text message a day, too.

This is just a snap shot of the volume of SMS messages that are being sent across Australia each and every day. As a nation we are one of the most mobile-tech savvy: 43% of Australians own a Smartphone and 26% of all Australians participate in mobile social networking and 32% of Australians own an Apple iPhone.

With such impressive growth rates it is little wonder then that more and more brands are using mobile and SMS messaging in particular as an effective marketing channel.

Click on the magnifier glass to check the infographic

Emergency SMS and natural disasters

Floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones, thunderstorms, damaging hail stones, torrential rains, destructive winds… the threat from natural disasters appears to be growing around the globe. But countries are increasingly working on ways to warn people in case of an emergency through SMS. Find out how.

As the summer approaches in Australia, there are numerous and severe weather conditions that can cause havoc and be a threat to the well-being of people and their belongings.

To help, a commission of enquiry is seeking for an emergency SMS system to be put in place so that Australians can be better prepared for natural disasters. By using SMS and mobile telephone technology, the system will aim to alert people when dangerous weather conditions are approaching.

SMS alerts in demand

Since the floods and the cyclone hit Queensland earlier this year, the demand for these SMS emergency warnings has increased considerably. Local councils, such as Brisbane and Townsville, are already offering this service to all citizens who register, so that they can receive official warnings in case of critical weather.

The use of these SMS alerts in cases of natural disasters by local and government authorities has not gone unnoticed by private companies too though, with many having launched their own kind of service too. The Australian Early Warning Network is just one of them, providing a multi-channel alerts service, with mobile phones as the main way of communication through fast and direct SMS.

All these services monitor the weather and if they detect that particularly dangerous weather may affect a specific region they send SMS alerts to registered users within that area. Once the text message is read, those who receive a text message alert are provided with some extra time to prepare for the weather, get their houses ready for the event and in if necessary evacuate.

SMS emergency warning

The specific characteristics of SMS text messages makes them the best way of communication in the complex and ever-changing situation experienced during and immediately after a natural disaster.

Haiti, Japan, New Zealand… Many countries have been recently hit by earthquakes or tsunamis, which can be among the most devastating of all natural disasters.

The effectiveness of Group SMS when a natural disaster such as this strikes can be truly life-saving, offering hope and information to those suffering.

Should you be able to send emergency SMS to 000?

Many organisations are using emergency SMS to communication crucial and critical information. The US Emergency Services system looks set to be overhauled to accommodate SMS, MMS and even video to be sent to 911 in case of an emergency. Should the Australian Emergency Services allow text messaging, too?

Text messaging emergency services is available in some shape or form among most emergency services worldwide. But these services are typically only designed for use by hearing or speech impaired individuals.

For example, in Australia today it is possible send SMS to the emergency services on 106. This is the text-based emergency number for people who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment. The service only operates using a textphone (TTY) or a computer with modem access, rather than via a mobile phone SMS. It is operated via the National Relay Service, which claims to be the world’s first national text-based emergency service.  There is a separate emergency call procedure for Speak and Listen callers who use mobile rather than a TTY, but they have to dial 1800 555 727 and then ask for Triple Zero (000).

Anyone calling 000 who does not speak when the operator asks the initial question: “Emergency. Police? Fire? Ambulance?” is directed to an interactive voice response (IVR) unit. There they are asked to press 55, but if after three requests there is no response, calls are disconnected.

So while provisions are currently in place to allow text messaging for the hearing and speech impaired to contact Emergency Services, they are far from easy or universally acknowledged.

A far better solution could be to improve on existing 000 technologies to allow SMS alerts, as the US has planned. The benefits for everyone are obvious and could undoubtedly save lives.

There are many times when sending a simple SMS message to 000, alerting relevant authorities to your situation may be far more appropriate than making a call, for example during incidences of domestic violence or burglary.

Older people may also be able to benefit from the adoption of the new text messaging service. As we age many of us will become hearing and speech impaired, so offering a text based way to contact emergency services could be extremely beneficial for older people. Australian seniors are among the most tech-savvy in the world, too, with research showing that the average Australian senior sends at least one text message every day.

As SMS becomes increasingly part of everyday communication, as well as the ease with which organisations can incorporate text message software, calling 000 via text seems like an obvious next-step for emergency services to make.

3 ways SMS messages help improve health

Around the world SMS services are being used in numerous innovative ways. Below we highlight a few recent examples of how SMS messages are changing the world – and our health – for the better.

1. Online SMS services help combat hay fever in Sweden

Earlier this summer scientists from the Sahlgrenska Academy and the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden used text messaging surveys to help reduce the symptoms of seasonal hay fever in children.

Two separate groups were given different treatments – one a placebo, the other a cellulose powder to treat the condition. SMS played a pivotal role in the study as it was used to issue reminders and reporting of symptom scores.

2. Email to SMS service helps healthcare in rural Africa

Research funded by the Brit organisation Wellcome Trust at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Nairobi found in August that the sending of text message reminders to healthcare workers in rural Africa improved the treatment of malaria. Prompt text message reminders meant that more patients received accurate antimalarial treatment.

For five working days, two text messages (one at 09:00 and one at 14:00) were sent daily to every health worker’s mobile phone. The same process was repeated every week for six months.

Within Africa, the adherence to national malaria treatment guidelines by health workers is vital in making sure that patients stick to and correctly complete malaria treatment doses. Failure to do so can not only affect the patient’s recovery from the disease, but can also increase the likelihood of the malaria parasites becoming resistant to the drugs.

3. Text messaging helps smokers quit

Studies in the US have revealed that text messaging can actually help smokers quit. Researchers at the University of Oregon and UCLA used SMS services as a low cost option for measuring health behaviours. Research participants were prompted by eight text messages per day for three weeks to document their ongoing cravings, mood and cigarette use.
The research showed that text messaging is at least as effective as more expensive and harder-to-use handheld data collection devices often used to help smokers quit.

“Text messaging may be an ideal delivery mechanism for tailored interventions because it is low-cost, most people already possess the existing hardware and the messages can be delivered near-instantaneously into real world situations,” said the study, which is scheduled to appear this week in Health Psychology, the journal of the American Psychological Association.

With the majority of Aussies owning a mobile phone – and even seniors sending regular text messages – there are numerous opportunities for text messaging services to be used to improve our overall health in the future.

New virtual mobile phone network could offer free service for the Outback

A new mobile phone communications system operating ‘without towers’ is being developed by researchers at Adelaide’s Flinders University, which could have a big effect on the Australian mobile industry.

Inspired by the 2010 Haiti earthquake in which the mobile phone network infrastructure crashed causing millions to lose communication, the Several Project aims to allow mobile phones to communicate with each other, creating a virtual network where no actual network cover exists.

The new system could be developed in areas such as the Outback where mobile network coverage is sometimes unavailable. It could even lead to communication via mobile phones taking place in remote spots in the Outback free of charge.

“It could also provide a limited mobile phone network for remote communities,” said the system creator, Paul Gardner-Stephen.

With many businesses operating in the Australian Outback the new system could be a welcome development. Mobile phone penetration continues to grow across Australia. The latest figures show a 300% increase in SMS and MMS messages sent in the last twelve months, as well as a similar increase of 300% in the number of emails being sent from phones since the introduction of Smartphones to Australia.

As a result of such growth more and more businesses are recognising the potential of SMS as a way to communicate. Many of them, surprisingly, are not your typical ‘business-tech’ companies either. For example, the largest wheat processing company in Australia, Manildra Park, has adopted SMS.

The company operates across the country using SMS to allow them to send daily diesel and biofuel pricing to hundreds of customers. Their customer base includes over 200 independent service stations, local councils and transport operators as well as major mines.

With such as widespread base of customers, and a constant demand for diesel and biofuel, Manildra Park is able to reach them with daily price changes via one simple Group SMS message.

Update to mobile phone code is good news for Australian SMS marketing

ACMA (The Australian Communications and Media Authority) has made moves looking to tighten up on rules surrounding premium SMS messages.

The regulator is looking for consumer feedback on a draft code of practice based around the area of mobile premium services.

Currently, premium SMS providers using text message software are regulated under a code developed in 2009, launched following an escalation of consumer complaints over intrusive SMS messaging. The existing code is well policed – premium mobile service providers can find themselves up in the Federal Court and fined up to $250,000 for repeated breaches of the code.

“The current code has contributed to a 90 per cent reduction in consumer complaints about mobile premium service expenditure over the past three years,’ said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman.

“Public consultation on the draft replacement code is vital to ensuring that consumers are able to have their say, and that the code responds to current concerns.”

ACMA plan to closely consider whether or not the new code provides consumers with necessary safeguards before submitting it for review. Areas it will look at closely will include effective tools for monitoring and controlling expenditure on these premium SMS services.

Tight industry regulation of SMS sign-ups and marketing practices should be welcomed as a whole by the mobile marketing industry. SMS is a really powerful tool, but with this power comes responsibilty; to customers, the marketing industry and the channel. If customers get oversaturated with intrusive messages we all lose in the end.

Research from ComScore and InMobi published at the beginning of 2011 found that Australians are among the most comfortable in receiving mobile advertising of anywhere in the world. Based on the response of 22,000 men and women from 14 countries, the research shows that 75% of Aussies were “somewhat comfortable” about receiving mobile advertising and 48% were “very comfortable”.

More and more SMS messages are being sent in Australia. In 2010 alone there was a 300% increase in overall SMS/MMS message volumes across the country. Stats from McCrindle Research commissioned by Telstra revealed earlier this year that the average Australian senior sends at least one text message every day.

Why are businesses using Email to SMS services?

There are a number of reasons that businesses use  Email to SMS services. In this posting we’ll examine some of the main ones.

Put simply, Email to SMS means that messages are sent via email, but delivered as texts.  Texted replies are then received as emails.

Email to SMS is ideal for staff without internet access or for those who use email as their primary communications channel. You can send and receive SMS from any email software – SMS through Outlook, Exchange, all popular email clients, servers, webmail or any software that can output an email message.

It allows you to send text messages direct from your email desktop application to anyone’s mobile number. This could be clients and customers, or other employees within your company. Email to SMS is also useful as an automated alert for servers/computer systems should a certain event happen, either positive or negative.

Email to SMS is particularly useful for businesses whose staffs are on the move. For example, if your company has lots of maintenance engineers on the road, then Email SMS is great way to co-ordinate your engineers. Messages can be sent out to the engineers while they are still on the road, minimising the time wasted.

Using SMS from your PC also allows you to simply send out the same message to a group of people at the same time. This might be a staff communication or a special customer promotion.

Another important reason for why people prefer using email SMS is that creating messages the conventional way; i.e. on their mobile handset, is a slow and difficult process. This is especially the case if you have a visual impairment or do not have nimble fingers. People often find that using a keyboard to write messages is much easier.

If you would like to know more about Email SMS and how it can save your business time and money, we’d love to hear from you.