Mobile operators report on progress in We Care Mexico commitments and launch new initiatives

AT&T, Telcel and Telefónica Movistar have ratified the principles of collaboration with the campaign coordinated by the GSMA and ANATEL to protect mobile users with the support of the Federal Telecommunications Institute

Mexico’s mobile operators and the GSMA, the global association of the mobile ecosystem, have summarised the outcomes of the programmes in the We Care Mexico campaign, launched just over a year ago:

  • Reducing handset theft: Theft of mobile handsets remains one of Mexico’s most common crimes: in 2015 users reported 609,547 lost or stolen handsets, an increase of 37.8% on 2014. As part of the We Care Mexico campaign, the GSMA’s IMEI Device Check system was implemented. This system enables mobile phone users to check the IFT website to see if a handset has been included on the global list of stolen mobile devices. From May 2015 to March 2016, more than 816,000 checks were made. This figure rose from little more than 10,000 a month initially to 101,000 in March 2016
  • Promoting children’s rights: Mexico’s mobile operators are working with the Citizens Council of Mexico City to help protect children by facilitating access to important information and providing a way for them to report abuse and receive guidance from the appropriate authorities. The free helpline *5533 was set up for this purpose. The Council has received 5,389 calls reporting bullying, 673 of them in 2015 alone, and 396 calls about child abuse and human trafficking involving children were registered in 2015.
  • Supporting people with disabilities: ANATEL and mobile operators signed an agreement with the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF) to facilitate access from its websites to the Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative. This system enables users to look up and identify mobile devices in their region that offer functions designed to assist people with some kind of disability. The FTI joined the programme, launching the Catalogue of Accessible Mobile Devices. Mobile operators continue to work to ensure the necessary information and access to qualified personnel are available through their main customer service centres, and in particular on their websites and by electronic means, for users who require assistance to subscribe to services.
  • Protecting the environment: From 2013 to the end of 2015, the Green Programme and the “Give Your Old Cell Phone a New Purpose” campaign recycled more than 1.8 million mobile handsets and 558 tonnes of accessories, such as batteries and chargers. To continue reinforcing this effort, the first free mobile app will be launched to enable users to locate the 479 collection boxes made available throughout the country by mobile operators and equipment manufacturers.

photo-wc_mx2-01Today’s announcement at the Centre for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) was attended by Gabriel Contreras, President of the FTI, Sebastián Cabello, Head of GSMA Latin America, Enrique Leiva, President of ANATEL, Judith Mariscal, Director of the Telecom-CIDE Programme, and Gabriel Székely, Director General of ANATEL.

 

 

The GSMA’s We Care Mexico campaign was launched in February 2015. AT&T, Movistar and Telcel, working together under the National Association of Telecommunications, Mexico, today announced new programmes:

Preventing and responding to natural disasters

 

Every year, Mexico suffers the impact of cyclones and hurricanes in the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea and on the Atlantic coast. Dozens of seismic movements are recorded in the enormous mountain ranges that cross the country. To mitigate the impact of these phenomena, Mexico’s mobile operates will work with the authorities to:

  • Collaborate with the competent authorities to take preventive actions to mitigate the impact of disturbing natural phenomena for mobile phone users and reinforce coordination during the stages of prevention, response and recovery in affected areas to save lives, reduce risks and provide an effective response to the population. This will involve defining procedures for the mobile sector to give priority to communications and messages in emergency or disaster situations during these stages.
  • Standardise messages from operators during emergencies to position the hashtag #NosImportaMéxico as a reference to provide efficient guidelines for the population.
  • Offer the federal authorities the opportunity to include a link on ANATEL and mobile operator websites to a list of shelters made available during natural phenomena so the population can locate them.

Implementation of national emergency number 911

 

photo-wc_mx2-03The Guidelines for Collaboration on Security and Justice Matters state that telecommunications companies and government entities will work together to unify and simplify user communications in emergencies. Several numbers for police, fire services, roadside assistance and other bodies will now be combined in a single number, 911.

In the mobile phone sector we are working on coordination and combined efforts with the security authorities to bring the 911 national emergency number into service. This initiative will be conducted with the Executive Secretariat of the National System of Public Security (SESNSP) and the FTI, and 911 is expected to be operating on mobile handsets soon. ANATEL and mobile operator websites will include detailed information about progress on their combined work and the implementation of initiatives throughout the country.

Gabriel Contreras, Comisionado Presidente del IFT, closing speech

Resources