112 to be India’s new National Emergency Number

India will have a new national emergency number – 112, which is similar to USA’s 911, UK’s 999, New Zealand’s 111 and Australia’s 000. The inter-ministerial Telecom Commission has approved the plan, paving the way for a radical change in India’s security system.

While other existing emergency numbers such as 100 (for police), 101 (fire services), 102 (ambulance) and 108 (disaster management) will be in operation for at least 12 months or so, 112 will replace all these in a phased manner.

The decision was integrated all emergency services into one, was being planned for long. To make the new service successful and effective, calls to the emergency number would be prioritized in mobile networks. SMS-based access will also be allowed. In order to provide quick services, the agencies will need location information and details of the callers.

The states will need to set up call centers to cater to the local languages spoken in their respective region.