Disaster Message Board Service
Service introduction
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Company provide a Disaster Message Board service, which can be used for safety notifications with family members, relatives or acquaintances in times of disaster.
When a major disaster occurs, au mobile phone subscribers residing in the disaster-stricken area can use the Disaster Message Board established on EZweb/IS NET/LTE NET to register their personal safety information. This registered safety information can then be viewed from anywhere in Japan, via means such as on EZweb/IS NET/LTE NET or over the Internet. Furthermore, we provide a function that enables subscribers to send email notifications to pre-designated family members and/or acquaintances when the subscriber registers on the Disaster Message Board. In addition, it is also possible to check safety information over the Internet.
From a PC or other carriers' mobile phones, access from the following URL.
Linkage with "Google Person Finder"
You can access "Google Person Finder" offered by Google at the time of a disaster. "Google Person Finder" is a tool which helps people register, search for, and access safety information (information about yourself, family members, and friends) by searching the name of a person in a disaster. You can easily access the tool from the top page of the Disaster Message Board.
All-carrier search feature (Linkage with "Disaster Emergency Broadband Message Board (web171)" is now available)
"All-Carrier Search Service" became available on August 30, 2012. With this service, safety information registered on the au Disaster Message Board is searchable across all carriers, including NTT East/West and five mobile phone and PHS carriers. Launch of this service enables users to search safety information registered on the disaster message boards of five mobile phone and PHS carriers as well as NTT East/West at once from au Disaster Message Board. In the event of a major disaster, use the Disaster Message Board service more than before.
See below for the details of the Disaster Message Board service, as well as the provided features, usage charges, and packet communication charges for both IS NET and LTE NET and EZweb subscriber courses.
Disaster Message Board service contents
| Functions | Contents | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Message Board | Basis | Registration/deletion/confirmation of safety information and other information (service overview, inquiries, etc.) | |
| Registration of safety information | Disaster situation | Select from either "I'm fine," "I'm injured," "I'm at home," "I'm at an evacuation center," or "See my comment." | |
| Enter comment | Maximum 100 double-byte characters | ||
| Message storage period | Until service for a disaster is completed
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| Number of messages that can be registered | 10 messages per telephone number | ||
| Regions compatible with registration of safety information | The sales area corresponding to the stricken area and surrounding areas
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| Notification Mail | When a subscriber registers their safety information on the Message Board, this function will enable email containing the subscriber's registered safety information to be sent automatically to that subscriber's pre-designated contacts. | ||
| Number of possible pre-registered contacts | 5 | ||
| Sender's address | Mobile phone email address from which the safety information was registered | ||
| Email content | Mobile phone number from which the safety information was registered | ||
| Notification content relaying the registered safety information | |||
| Link to access the Message Board | |||
| Checking safety information | All mobile phone and PHS numbers can be searched, with no regional restrictions | ||
| If a Message is registered on the Disaster Message Board of a carrier other than au, a link to that carrier's Disaster Message Board will be displayed. | |||
| Disaster-related information | Information distributed by "Emergency Bulletin Mail (Disaster and Evacuation Information)" [1] is posted. Information on Japan's disasters will be provided in real time. | ||
- [1]A notification service that sends evacuation advisories and orders from national and local public organizations, all manner of warnings, and other information relating to the safety of residents to all au mobile devices in the relevant area at once. The information posted on the disaster message board is only information that has been acknowledged by national and local public organizations.
Functions provided according to each EZweb subscriber course (Table 1)
| Subscriber course | Safety information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | Confirmation | Delete | Notification mail settings | |
| IS NET/LTE NET | o | o | △[2] | △[2] |
| EZ WIN | o | o | ||
- [2]Neither deletion of safety information nor notification emails are available through Wi-Fi communications. Please check your mobile network setting before using this service.
Charged fees and packet communication charges according to each EZweb subscriber course (Table 2)
| Subscriber course | Charged fees for Disaster Message Board |
Packet communication charges |
|---|---|---|
| IS NET/LTE NET | Free | Charges incurred |
| EZ WIN | Free | Free [3] |
- [3]In the event that a customer's safety information cannot be confirmed, we recommend performing a search on the Disaster Message Boards of either iMode and/or SoftBank. However, usage of these Disaster Message Boards will incur packet communication charges.
Usage of disaster-related information will incur packet communication charges.
About the Disaster Message Board
- Up to 10 safety information messages can be stored until the service is completed. If messages exceed the upper limit, the oldest ones are deleted regardless of the storage period.
- If a disaster occurs during a trial service, the service switches to the disaster service. In such a case, the safety information that is registered during the trial service may be deleted.
- KDDI does not guarantee quality of this service.
Before using, note that KDDI shall not bear any responsibility for any safety information registration trouble due to intensive accesses to this service or facility failures, any corrupted safety information, any damage due to loss etc., and any damage arising from registered safety information, regardless of the reason.
Experimental Disaster Message Board service
KDDI provides an 'Experimental Disaster Message Board service' to enable customers to test the Disaster Message Board function.
[Experimental Disaster Message Board] (http://dengon.ezweb.ne.jp/E/service.do)
You can check this service from non-au mobile phones too.
<Period offered>
- From 0:00 to 24:00 on the 1st and 15th of every month
From 12:00 on January 1 to 24:00 on January 3 - The government-designated "Disaster Prevention Week (August 30 to September 5)" and "Disaster Prevention and Volunteer Week (January 15 to January 21)".
- *In the event of a real disaster occurrence, the experimental service will be terminated.
<Areas in which this service can be used>
Areas in which safety information can be registered: Areas throughout Japan in which this service can be used
Areas in which safety information can be confirmed: Areas throughout Japan in which this service can be used
<Functions provided according to each EZweb subscriber course>
Please refer to Table 1 to confirm which functions are provided with each EZweb subscriber course.
<Charged fees and packet communication charges according to each EZweb subscriber course>
Please refer to Table 2 to confirm the charged fees and packet communication charges for each EZweb subscriber course.
Information about using mobile phones when a disaster occurs
An overwhelming volume of telephone calls when a disaster such as an earthquake or accident occurs can make it difficult to get through on calls in the disaster-stricken area. Consequently, there may be some hindrance when attempting to register or check safety notifications, or when trying to contact the fire department or police. As a telecommunications carrier, KDDI strives to secure telecommunications through a variety of means, such as providing the Disaster Message Board, controlling network appropriately, and offering priority calls in times of disaster. In order to facilitate the smooth use of emergency telephones in the disaster-stricken area, we respectfully request that you refrain from making non-urgent calls or redialing continuously. Instead, we ask for your understanding in waiting for a while before trying again to make your call. Thank you.
For further information regarding the use of phones when a disaster occurs, please refer to the Website of the 'Telecommunications Carriers Association.'