Release date - Monday 6th October 2008
DIGITV TECHNOLOGY HELPS BRING COUNCIL SERVICES TO MOBILES IN NEWHAM
TECHNOLOGY BEHIND "LOOKING LOCAL" PORTAL USED IN PROJECT TO DELIVER INTERACTIVE SERVICES TO RESIDENTS' AND VISITORS' MOBILE SCREENS IN NEWHAM
Newham Borough Council today unveiled a new service which enables its residents, visitors and businesses to access council services such as GP appointment booking, job searches and graffiti reporting on their mobiles using DigiTV technology, in cooperation with a variety of other partners. DigiTV's digital TV and mobile portal is already used by more than 70 public bodies to deliver interactive services and this project is an example of how a local authority can maximise the benefit they derive from such capability by raising the profile and accessibility of mobile based services.
The service not only enables access to council services on the move, but also delivers a range of local information such as maps; local and national transport information, allows users to plan a night out with the latest pubs and clubs news and reviews and enables communities to build their own networks, with schools, voluntary organizations, and sports clubs who can all use it to communicate with their own members. The site, "mynewham.mobi" can be accessed by simply texting the word Newham to 65101 and then following the instructions from the link you receive.
Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: "This pioneering service provides a great opportunity to supply information in a personalised and convenient way. There's no excuse to not know what's happening in the borough."
Guy Giles, Operations Director at DigiTV said: "We are delighted that DigiTV technology is being used in this project to bring to the mobile screens of Newham residents and visitors the type of interactive services local government already offers through our Looking Local portal on digital TV. We look forward to working with many more local authorities across the UK who would like to build on this experience."
