A joint team of disaster management division, telecom regulator and arm forces division has successfully tested a system where mobile phone users can call to the emergency number ‘999’ if their own mobile network destroyed.

Md Zahik Hossain Khan, senior assistant director of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, has confirmed the test run.

In the process, at least one mobile network needs to be active and other network users can use that, which is not possible in usual time.

Meaning if any user found his/her mobile network down or destroyed they can immediately contact with the authority using emergency calling option through this process.

Currently 999 is used for emergency situation, which has developed by ICT division in 2017 and currently running by police.

Every mobile phone, both in smart and basic phones, have an emergency calling option and using that option this call will be generated, which will also be free, said a member of the team.

After about one year’s initiative the joint team members made their idea successful in Bangladesh and now government needs to make a regulation how this will be used, said the official.

 “In the back drop mobile operators need to alien their network with this system and then users can access these facilities,” said Khan, also the spokesperson of the BTRC.