Airadigm launches commercial cell broadcast service in Wisconsin

Airadigm Communications’ Einstein Wireless, a GSM cellphone carrier in Wisconsin, said it fired up the nation’s first cellular broadcast emergency alert system covering the community of Appleton.
“Together with CellCast Technologies and with support from [the Federal Emergency Management Agency], we’ve been testing cell broadcast capability in Wisconsin and are now making it available to our subscribers throughout the state,” said John Altamura, president of Einstein Wireless. “This technology will reach a greater percentage of the population in a timely way, improve emergency response times and enable geographic-specific alerts-all using the most advanced broadcast medium available today. We are looking forward to working with local universities, corporations and the community to improve emergency response times and our overall security.”
The Federal Communications Commission is working to implement legislation to integrate wireless and other communications technologies into a Cold War-era emergency warning largely dependent on radio and television broadcasters and cable TV operators.
The four national mobile-phone carriers have been reluctant to embrace a cell broadcast technology gaining traction in Europe and Asia, wanting instead to investigate all options for delivering wireless alerts to consumers.
“People have relied on the entertainment vehicles of television and radio to deliver emergency alerts for more than 50 years. Meanwhile, the cellphone has emerged as an always-on communication vehicle for more than 80% of the nation’s population, making it an ideal medium for delivering emergency alerts,” said Paul Klein, COO of Houston-based CellCast Technologies. “We commend FEMA for piloting the use of this 21st-century technology to significantly improve our nation’s emergency alert systems.”