Dialog recognised for Mass Alert Early Warning Network

Dialog Telekom has been recognised and commended for its pioneering Disaster and Emergency Warning Network (DEWN) at the National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) held last week in Colombo.

The company together with its technology partners Microimage and the Dialog University of Moratuwa Mobile Communications Research Laboratory received the Overall Award in the Research and Development Category, as well as the all round Gold Award for DEWN - a cost effective and multi modal mass alert system which could be deployed for the purpose of warning key stakeholders in disaster management as well as the general public in advance of the occurrence of life threatening disasters. The pilot launch of DEWN took place in November 2005 together with the Ministry of Public Security Law and Order.

Dialog Telekom was also selected to participate in the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) to be held in Macau a fortnight from now. The Remote Alarm and Handset Resident Applications for DEWN designed by Microimage and the Dialog UoM were recently short-listed in the category of Innovative Technology Development at the GSMA Asia Mobile Innovation Awards.

Nushad Perera, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Dialog Telekom said the company initiated this project following the massive destruction caused by the tsunami in December 2004. "We have always been very conscious about trying to use GSM technology for the betterment of the lives of people in Sri Lanka. We knew that as a means of communication our handheld devices would be more effective and far reaching than radio, TV or any other medium. After all today, through our network alone we can reach over 2.5 million people. Our mobiles had proved invaluable in the evaluation and location process following the tsunami – so it was a natural step for us to develop something that would alert and therefore protect people before a tragedy occurred."