Ais Unveils Sms Alert Service For Disasters

[george]

AIS unveils alert service for disasters

BANGKOK: -- The Meteorological Department has joined hands with Advanced Info Service (AIS), the country’s largest mobile-phone operator, to provide free natural-disaster alerts to the company’s customers.

The department announced on its website (www.tmd.go.th) that AIS customers could send an SMS message to subscribe to the department’s free alert service.

Those wanting Thai-language alerts for earthquakes or tsunamis can send an “ais” SMS message to 9920, while those seeking English-language alerts must type “aise” and send it to the same number.

The department’s website has also added a new section to inform the public about the latest earthquake reports from around the world.

--The Nation 2005-04-16

[RDN]

AIS unveils alert service for disasters......

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Cartoon courtesy Phuket Gazette

[DualCitizen]

So this is going to help warn people on a beach that a tsunami is coming how? At least for myself, I don't particularly like to carry my mobile phone into the water. Not to mention that most foreign tourists are probably without a cell phone in Thailand altogether. Oh, of course there is International Roaming...but this service is only for AIS.

But I must admit that at least it is better than nothing. Now all the government would have to do is make all the mobile carriers utilize this service, as opposed to trying to only propping up AIS (and we all know who owns that company) as the only carrier who cares enough to provide this. It's wonderful to know that the PR machine is still rolling along at full steam however.