Panic button must for new cellphones from Jan 1

Panic button will be mandatory for all mobile phones to be sold in India January 1, 2017, onwards to enable users make emergency call easily. Besides, in-built GPS navigation system would be mandatory for all phones a year later with effect from January 1, 2018, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday.

“Technology is solely meant to make human life better and what better than using it for the security of women... from January 1, 2017, no cellphone can be sold without a provision for panic button and from January 1, 2018, mobile sets should have also GPS in-built,”he said.

An official notification dated April 22, says: “With effect from January 1, 2017, no mobile phone handset manufactured company shall sell in India...Feature phones without the facility of panic button by pressing ‘Numeric key 5’ or ‘Numeric key 9’ to invoke emergency call.”

It added that no smartphone should be sold in India without the facility of emergency call button. This button should function in a way that by pressing it for a long time to invoke emergency call or the use of existing power on or off button, when short pressed thrice in quick succession.

“With effect from January 1, 2018, no handset manufacturing company shall sell the mobile phones in India without the facility of identifying the location through satellite-based GPS,” the notification said.