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ITU To Choose Emergency Line For Mobiles: 911, or 112?

Posted by timothy on from the what-and-invalidate-a-generation-of-rap-lyrics? dept.

First time accepted submitter maijc writes "The International Telecommunication Union will determine the standard emergency phone numbers for new generations of mobile phones and other devices. AP reports that member states have agreed that either 911 or 112 should be designated as emergency phone numbers. 911 is currently used in North America, while 112 is standard across the EU and in many other countries worldwide."

5 of 354 comments (clear)

  1. Why not both? by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I imagine it would be technically trivial to simply require that *both* numbers link to emergency services. It would be easy to do, and would make things a lot safer for visitors in either America or Europe who may only be familiar with one or the other.

    Easy peasy, and no argument needed.

    Of course, this is the U.N. we're talking about here, so OF COURSE there will be an argument. And it will no doubt break down fairly quickly into an old-resentment pissing contest between Europe and America, with both sides engaging in increasingly hyperbolic rhetoric and the end result being both sides telling the other to sod off. It will probably be considered a success if four additional numbers don't get proposed by countries who hate the West in general.
     

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    1. Re:Why not both? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The UK added 112 as an alternative many years ago, so while 999 is the popularly ingrained emergency number there would be no problem in the UK with a phone having 112 as the default emergency number.

    2. Re:Why not both? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      For two, most switches use the first digit being a "1" to denote the beginning of a long distance call.

      In the US perhaps, it's mostly 0 in Europe from what I've seen.

      Going with '112' breaks a perfectly good standard in a country that at least has a standard phone number format.

      Going with '911' breaks a perfectly good standard in multiple countries that already agreed on a standard phone number format.

      Ah well, http://xkcd.com/927/ right?

  2. 112 by Bogtha · · Score: 5, Insightful

    911 is currently used in North America, while 112 is standard across the EU and in many other countries worldwide.

    112 isn't just standard across the EU and many other countries, it's part of the GSM standard. Outside of America getting its own way, there's no good reason to pick anything other than that, it's practically a worldwide standard already.

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    Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
  3. Re:Prior use by NevarMore · · Score: 5, Funny

    The new number is so easy to remember! It's a dandy jingle, 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3