Method and apparatus for packetized supplemental wireless distress signaling

A method in a public wireless communications system comprising:

• at a mobile switching center:
• receiving on a signaling channel a message that was sent by a mobile terminal in response a triggering event that was initiated in response to an occurrence of a certain type of situation, the message comprising user-specific information that was previously stored at the mobile terminal and is associated with the type of situation that has occurred, information that identifies the mobile terminal, and information that identifies a type of destination to which the message is directed and which is also associated with the type of situation that has occurred,
• determining an actual destination endpoint from the type of destination information in the message;
• and
• routing the message to the actual destination endpoint, the message being routed to the actual destination endpoint without establishing an end-to-end connection between the mobile terminal and the actual destination endpoint.

A computer readable media tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform a method at a mobile switching center in a public wireless communications system, the method comprising:

• receiving on a signaling channel a message that was sent by a mobile terminal in response to a triggering event that was initiated in response to an occurrence of a certain type of situation, the message comprising user-specific information that was previously stored at the mobile terminal and is associated with the type of situation that has occurred, information that identifies the mobile terminal, and information that identifies a type of destination to which the message is directed and which is also associated with the type of situation that has occurred,
• determining an actual destination endpoint from the type of destination information in the message;
• and
• routing the message to the actual destination endpoint, the message being routed to the actual destination endpoint without establishing an end-to-end connection between the mobile terminal and the destination endpoint.