The Australian Red Cross and its partner Multi-ed Medical are using the Ericsson IPX Mobile Payment service to distribute an animated CPR demonstration that users can download to their mobile handsets for USD 2,6. Using a simple opt-in agreement through the IPX Mobile Payment system, the download charge appears on the mobile customer’s bill, and proceeds are split by the Red Cross and Multi-ed Medical.
The unprecedented effort was launched in Australia and Singapore in June and July, and will continue in Malaysia and the UK later in 2008.
Designed by Multi-ed Medical as a “refresher” for those who are trained to deliver CPR, the CPR to Mobile application consists of a six-minute animation with voiceover which can be downloaded to any mobile device, including phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), in any mobile network where Ericsson IPX provides a connection.
Virginia Leafe, Red Cross General Manager of First Aid, says: “Remembering how to administer CPR in an emergency can be difficult. This animation means people can always have potentially life-saving CPR instructions at hand.”
Colin Evans, Director of Multi-ed Medical, says that even though CPR to Mobile is not intended to replace training, it can provide anyone faced with an emergency with sufficient knowledge to administer CPR confidently. The file is stored on the mobile device, which enables the user to recall the application at any time, regardless of network coverage or connection.
“It’s not only intended for use in emergency situations,” Evans says. “People can review it while sitting on trains, buses, waiting in queues, or while enjoying a cup of coffee. We think it should be mandatory on every mobile device carried by schoolteachers, police officers, civil servants, or any individual in a position of care.”
Jane Crosswell, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Australian Red Cross, says the organization is marketing the application through its website and general advertising, using the slogan, “The power to save a life is in your hands.” Crosswell is also asking the Red Cross’s corporate partners to purchase bulk downloads for redistribution to their employees.
“Depending on the success of the product, we hope to go global through our Red Cross networks around the world,” Crosswell says.
Ericsson IPX is a leading global aggregator in the mobile space. The IPX Mobile Payment service provides access to delivery and charging via SMS, MMS, WEB and Online Mobile Billing, to more than 2 billion mobile subscribers across networks in 25 countries.
