JEDDAH, 16 August 2005 — Mobily’s locator service seemed to be ideal for concerned parents, sponsors and spouses wanting to keep an eye on those who matter to them. Some people are getting worked up and some others a workout because of questions about how well the network works. Mobily, however, says a network workover will make things workable.
Two months ago, many scrambled to Mobily to take advantage of the new service that — with permission — allows subscribers to check on someone else’s location. By sending FIND and the mobile number one wishes to locate by SMS to 2525, users are able to find where each other are.
“I thought it would help me with my boys, but it just caused a row between us all at home,” Amal Siraj told Arab News. Siraj had allowed the boys to take their father’s car to fetch groceries from the Giant Superstores in Al-Zahra district, just before prayer time.
While the boys were away, their father, curious as to where the boys were, sent FIND followed by his sons’ numbers to 2525 by SMS. Moments later, Mobily’s locator service responded by telling him the boys were in Al-Bawadi district almost six kilometers away.
“My husband was upset because the boys had told him in a telephone conversation moments earlier that they were around the corner waiting at the Giant Superstore for prayers to end. When Mobily messaged that the boys were in Al-Bawadi, he accused them of lying to him and told me I was irresponsible to give them the keys,” Siraj said. “Curious as to what the boys were doing in Al-Bawadi and how they got there, I had to tell him that they had his car and had gone crazy with it.”
Proclaiming their innocence and frantic that their father would punish them severely, the boys convinced their mother to accompany them to the Giant Superstore to see for herself. While there, they sent another FIND message to 2525.
“The boys were right. The network was saying that they were in Al-Bawadi district, when in fact they were seated in the car with me, around the corner from our home in Al-Zahra,” she said.
“When my husband came home, I told him what we had discovered. He tried it himself, then calmed down immediately. It was a good lesson for my husband. He learned to trust his children, instead of Mobily,” she said.
Ali Al-Ghamdi, a Mobily customer service representative, told Arab News that as the network expands, more and more antennas will be installed, allowing for more accurate locating.
“Our network is still expanding. In the case of Al-Zahra district and the problem this family had, the closest antenna to their location is in Al-Bawadi and that is why the message indicated that,” Al-Ghamdi said.
“But in the very near future, our locator services will be more accurate and will be map-based. As our network expands, there will be more towers throughout the cities, and that will improve the quality of service all around,” he said.
“Those who enjoy the locating service now will be happy to learn that in the near future, our subscribers will receive a map on their telephone that pinpoints locations more accurately instead of just an SMS,” Al-Ghamdi told Arab News.
