Wireless AMBER Alerts Available

Thanks to a cooperative effort among The Wireless Foundation,the membership of CTIA-The Wireless Association™, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children it is now possible for wireless subscribers who opt in to receive the AMBER Alerts as text messages on their wireless devices. The participating carriers are Alltel, Cingular, Dobson Communications, Nextel, Sprint, T-Mobile, Unicell, US Cellular, and Verizon Wireless.

The user needs a wireless device capable of receiving text messages. The wireless AMBER Alerts are provided at no additional cost to the user who already has text messaging capability from his carrier. When signing up, the user must specify up to five ZIP codes from which he wants to receive any AMBER Alerts.

The Wireless Foundation has provided an FAQ that should answer most questions. It also provides a site explaining how to opt in to receive wireless AMBER Alerts.