All new mobiles to have panic button from 2017

Starting next year, all mobile phones sold in India will come with a dedicated ‘panic button’ that can be used to send out a signal in case of distress.

The Panic button and Global Positioning System facility in all mobile phone handsets Rules, 2016, notified by the Department of Telecommunications on April 22, are aimed at improving the safety of women and ensuring a quick response from security agencies.

The notification says that no handset shall be sold in India from January 1, 2017, without a panic button and all handsets must also have GPS from January 1, 2018.

Once the panic button is pressed, a signal/call will be made to the nearest security agency. 

panic button :

A panic alarm is an electronic device designed to assist in alerting somebody in emergency situations where a threat to persons or property exists.

These buttons can be connected to a monitoring center or locally via a silent alarm or an audible bell/siren. The alarm can be used to request emergency assistance from local security, police or emergency services.

Global Positioning System (GPS) :

• The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space-based navigation system that provides location and time information in all weather conditions, anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.
•  The system provides critical capabilities to military, civil, and commercial users around the world. 
• The United States government created the system, maintains it, and makes it freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver.