Press Releases
T-Mobile links San Diegans to 2-1-1
San Diego, October 10, 2005 – As of September 12, San Diego County residents with T-Mobile USA wireless service joined their neighbors in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties in being able to dial 2-1-1 from their cell phones. 2-1-1 is the new dialing code for 24/7 access to information on community, health, and disaster resources. This community service is provided without charge by 2-1-1 San Diego, a non-profit organization. Standard airtime charges will apply. T-Mobile is the first wireless company to provide cell phone access to 2-1-1 service in Southern California. The implementation came only two months after 2-1-1 San Diego jointly launched the service with Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Riverside Counties, making 2-1-1 accessible to more than half of all Californians.
“With all the ways people can connect these days – home phones, online, pagers – it’s only appropriate that San Diegans access the information they need through the technology of cell phones,” states Sara Matta, executive director of 2-1-1 San Diego. “This is a milestone for 2-1-1 San Diego – with T-Mobile’s help we’re closer to putting critical community resources at the fingertips of all San Diegans.”
T-Mobile, one of the fastest growing nationwide wireless service providers, implemented 2-1-1 dialing in Los Angeles in early September and completed testing of access to 2-1-1 service in the San Diego and Santa Barbara Counties last week. T-Mobile is working on implementing access to 2-1-1 service in Orange, Riverside, and Ventura Counties in the coming months.
2-1-1 San Diego anticipates working with other wireless services to allow 2-1-1 dialing. In the meantime, cell phone users who need to access information but do not have T-Mobile service can dial (858) 300-1211 for service in San Diego County, (626) 300-1464 for service in Los Angles, (949) 764-1688 for service in Orange County, (951) 329-4703 for service in Riverside County, (805) 899-0061 for service in Santa Barbara County, and (805) 604-1977 for service in Ventura County.
2-1-1 has been set aside by the Federal Communications Commission as the phone number for confidential community information ranging from substance abuse treatment, care for a child, or volunteer opportunities. Callers are linked to highly trained phone specialists who can offer assistance in 150 languages through the help of a phone-based translation service. Additionally, 2-1-1 can be mobilized as a central communications link during a disaster, providing timely and updated information on relief efforts. 2-1-1 was first established in Atlanta Georgia in 1997 and now reaches 137 million people in 32 states – more than 46 percent of the country.
For more information, the public can visit www.211california.org, Information about 2-1-1 nationally can be found at www.211.org. For more information on T-Mobile, please visit www.t-mobile.com.
Contact:
Meg Storer, 2-1-1 Communications & Public Affairs Specialist
(858) 300-1240 or (858) 300-1300.
