By Doug Thompson, Director of Product Management, Interop Technologies

Hurricane Irene caused more than 50 deaths in 12 states when it struck in late August. Making landfall in North Carolina and wreaking havoc along the East Coast, the storm left an estimated $10 billion in damages. High winds, tornadoes, and flooding destroyed countless homes and businesses and left millions without power.

A new public safety system may soon give wireless customers across the country more time to take action when storms such as Irene occur and to respond to other emergency situations. Known as the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS), the network delivers timely public safety alerts from government agencies to individual wireless devices. Wireless network operators are a crucial link in providing this essential communications service.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are implementing CMAS to complement existing emergency alert systems. CMAS will provide three types of messages—1) Presidential, 2) Imminent Threat, and 3) America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) alerts.

Presidential alerts, the highest priority messages, are issued by the U.S. President to identify local, regional, or national emergencies. Imminent Threat alerts provide notification of emergency conditions, such as hurricanes or tornadoes, where individuals should take immediate action. AMBER alerts are related to missing or endangered children in abduction or runaway situations.

How it works

When an emergency occurs, authorized national, state, or local government officials will send an alert to a Federal Alert Gateway, which will authenticate the alert and forward it to the Commercial Mobile Service Provider (CMSP) Gateway of each participating wireless operator. This network element will validate the alert and forward it to CMAS-enabled devices currently in the targeted geographic area.

Messages will be sent using cell broadcast technology, which enables delivery of alerts in seconds to wireless users based on their current location. Unlike one-to-one SMS technology, which can overload networks during periods of peak usage, cell broadcast’s one-to-many, geographically based messaging technology simultaneously reaches a large number of individuals in a targeted area.

Participating network operators must ensure that cell broadcast technology is enabled on their networks to participate in CMAS.

Operators are prohibited from charging subscribers for CMAS, yet it is viewed by most as an important customer care initiative with potential subscriber retention implications for those that do not comply. For example, operators choosing not to participate in CMAS must notify their customers that they cannot deliver the alerts, which may cause some subscribers to switch operators

Wireless network operators who choose to participate in the voluntary CMAS program must meet the FCC’s implementation deadline of April 2012, although leading U.S. operators have announced plans to offer CMAS alerts to their customers prior to that date. With Interop’s hosted solution, operators of all sizes can ensure that their subscribers begin to receive alerts at the same time as customers of the largest operators.

To receive crucial weather and public safety alerts in times of emergency, wireless customers in the Southeast should make sure that the wireless devices and networks they choose are CMAS-enabled.

Although in-network CMSP Gateways are available, a hosted CMSP Gateway from Interop Technologies in Fort Myers, FL, offers operators a fast, affordable way to provide these critical alert messages in times of crisis. A hosted solution eliminates the need for investment in new gateways or additional staff to maintain the system, minimizing associated OPEX and CAPEX. With the least impact on an operator’s network, a hosted CMSP Gateway also enables operators to comply with CMAS more rapidly than by deploying an in-network solution.

As Director of Product Management, Doug Thompson drives the evolution of Interop Technologies solutions as they continue to support next-generation technologies for wireless and broadband operators. Doug has more than 18 years of experience in telecommunications.

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Tags: CMAS, Commercial Mobile Altert System, Doug Thompson, Interop Technologies, new wireless emergency alert system