Security and mobile phones

Mobile phones are a wonderful facility, and can bring security and peace of mind to their users, and to their friends, relations and colleagues. They allow you to remain in touch.

Emergency Calls

To make an emergency call, dial 112. This sets up a priority call to the emergency operator, cutting through any network congestion. 999 will also work in the UK, but may not get priority treatment from the mobile network.

Some phone manuals or displays suggest that you can make an emergency call through another network if your network has no coverage, or with no sim card in the handset. Although the GSM specification requires this facility in the hardware, none of the UK networks will accept such calls. No sim, or no service from your network, and you can't make that emergency call!

Security drawbacks

In some circumstances you should be aware of health, safety and security issues related to mobile phones.

Mobile phones are small, valuable and readily saleable. This is a temptation to some criminals. For guidance about how to play safe, visit the Watch Out page.

Some people have expressed concerns about privacy issues, whether related to tapped or overheard calls, or to being "tracked" by their mobile use. See the Privacy page for more information.

Mobile phone locations can be tracked, for good purposes, or sometimes for less good ones. Read about it on the Tracking page.

There are several passwords and pin codes that you can use to give additional security. The Passwords page guides you through this maze.

And don't forget insurance. The Insurance page explains the options open to you.

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