A mobilkom austria alpine study has found that: 90% of Carinthians and Styrians take their mobiles with them in the mountains, but only few know how to use them properly in an emergency. Right now, snow, sun and perfect slope conditions are tempting many people to spend their semester break in the mountains. While drivers may not be appreciating the heavy snowfall, fans of winter sports are enjoying their free time on and off the slopes. Yet at the same time, the risk of accidents in the mountains also rises. Should an accident occur, the mobile phone is the number one tool for getting help.
"A study we carried out in the fall of 2003 shows that nine out of ten Carinthians and Styrians always have their mobiles with them in the mountains. Yet only very few can alert rescue teams in case of accident," explains Dr. Boris Nemsic, CEO of mobilkom austria and COO Wireless Telekom Austria AG. "As Austria's leading mobile service provider, it is important to us to educate the public on this subject. While we can't prevent accidents in the mountains, we can make sure that people know how to use their mobiles correctly in an alpine emergency," says Nemsic.
The mobilkom austria alpine study, carried out by SENSOR Market Research last fall, presents a clear picture: 90% of Carinthians and Styrians always have their phone with them in the mountains. A total of 92% believe that in the mountains, the mobile phone should definitely be in one's knapsack. "Experts confirm that the mobile phone is the most important means of communication in the mountains. Only mobiles can provide direct contact to the scene of the accident and bring help quickly," says Boris Nemsic. In the south of Austria, people feel particularly safe when they have their mobile phones with them: having a mobile in the mountains gives 94% of all Carinthians and Styrians a sense of security; that number for all of Austria is 86%. While the majority of Austrians are familiar with the emergency numbers for the fire department, police and ambulance, few are aware of the number for accidents in the mountains: only 17% of Austrians know the alpine emergency number "140".
Even more alarming are the results in Carinthia and Styria: while ranking highest in familiarity with police, fire and ambulance numbers, only 2% know the alpine emergency number. The European emergency number "112" is still little known as well. Only every fourth Austrian is familiar with this number. In Carinthia and Styria the numbers are hardly better, with 28% aware of the Euro-emergency number.
It is precisely in the mountains, where it will never be possible to guarantee complete mobile network coverage due to geographical conditions, that the Euro-emergency number plays an important role. "It can happen that a mobile phone user does not have reception during an alpine emergency. In this situation, the user can shut off their mobile, then turn it on again and enter the number '112' instead of their PIN code. This causes the mobile to automatically select the strongest network," explains Boris Nemsic. Other advantages of the European emergency call number 112 that set it apart from all other numbers: it can be used free of charge in all European countries, even without a SIM card. In addition, the call is treated as an "SOS" call, meaning that it is given priority treatment within the network. Other calls may be interrupted so that help may be notified with the Euro-emergency call."
Posted to the site on 16th February 2004
Posted to: www.cellular-news.com/story/10627.php