Residents of northern Israel may soon have the chance to get their missile-attack warnings via text message on their cellular phones, it was reported on Thursday.
The system from cellular messaging firm Cellact will be available to subscribers of all cellular companies, according to a report in the Israeli business newspaper Globes.
Warning of a missile or bomb attack, shooting, or other emergency announcements will be issued, the report continued.
While receiving text messages is normally free in Israel, receiving the emergency bulletins will cost 4 cents per message. Since the fighting began nine days ago, Israelis in the north have heard warning sirens as many as several times an hour - in other words, the service could get expensive quickly.
"After the shelling started, Cellact made a decision to harness its technology for the benefit of residents and companies in the north," the company's vice-president of sales and marketing, Gal Biran, said via the Globes report.
"[Text messaging] use meets two requirements in the event of an emergency: timely warning and distribution, and high reliability even in the event of heavy web traffic or poor reception," Biran continued.
In times of heavy attacks over the past week, UPI has seen the cellular networks go down at least twice.
"The system also provides ongoing communications when people are indoors or in air raid shelters, and can be used to easily relay information such as the opening hours of specific bank branches, or any important announcement that the public will not be able to see on notice boards because they are confined to their homes," the report quoted Biran as saying.
Israelis get text-message missile warnings
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