SMS and MMS to deliver government services

Queensland Government turns to short message services (SMS) as a service delivery medium

The Queensland Government is to source SMS and MMS services as part of a new common use whole-of-government supply strategy.

According to government documents, the services will improve government service delivery for Queensland government departments and agencies, and gain cheaper messaging services through aggregated purchasing.

The Queensland government increasingly views SMS and MMS messaging as a cost-effective option for the delivery of information and services, especially given the increasing used of smartphones among the population.

“SMS technology presents opportunities for agencies to offer Queenslanders improved service through an easily accessible medium, and to reduce the overall cost to government of specific service delivery,” the documents read.

“Queensland Government will adopt a strategic approach to implementing whole-of-government SMS services and will establish full SMS capabilities providing flexibility for agencies to address a range of requirements that can be serviced by SMS.”

To date, SMS messaging has largely been used by government and agencies for emergency communications; the prime example being the Federal Government’s Emergency Alert warning system, which pushes SMS notifications on natural disasters out to mobile handsets across all mobile networks.

Following the recent Queensland floods, SMS is also being considered as a means to communicate information to the hearing impaired and deaf.

However, smaller organisations, such as Queensland Lifeguards, are using SMS to communicate ocean conditions and incident reports.

Follow Tim Lohman on Twitter: @tlohman

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU

More about: Federal Government, Queensland Government
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