One Touch Response is positioned to help smartphone manufacturers implement the panic button

In late April, 2016, The IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad mandated a panic button on all smartphones. From 2017, no phone can be sold in India without a single button mechanism to contact the nearest redressal agency. The specifics of which agency should receive the call for help was to be specified at a later date. While mobile manufacturers are willing to work with the government and include the panic button in their devices, the question of which agency would connect to the number was not answered. This is where One Touch Response come in. They have the technology in place to offer a safety service, as they are India’s first on demand safety service. OTR provides a database of local emergency service providers that can respond appropriately to the situation, in a particular location. The calls are routed to one of One Touch Response’s command and control centers. They also have staff in place to take live calls, and are trained to stay on call till the situation is resolved. These services are offered by One Touch Response through an API as well, which allows smartphone partners to integrate the service with a panic button. An SMS from a feature phone can also take advantage of One Touch Response’s emergency SOS service. Arvind Khanna, Founder, One Touch Response says, “The panic button in mobile handsets, supported with a helpline and a strong on-ground response team can revolutionise the safety mindset of all, and particularly of women in our country. At One Touch Response, our objective is simple, to safeguard citizens and provide an assured quick response when they are faced with any real life situation involving personal safety. The DoT notification gives us an impetus to collaborate with mobile phone companies by integrating our services and technologies towards addressing this pressing and urgent requirement.”