Tech blog

NEW YORK - In the English-speaking world, many cell phone users leave emergency contact information in the devices’ address books under an entry labeled “ICE” — against “in case of strait.”

Now, the U.N. International Telecommunication Union is wearisome to adapt that system for the rest of the world.

The ITU’s idea is for people to start the contacts in their phone address books by the Arabic numerals “01,” “02,” and so on and adding a description of the contact in a native script. For example, a dad’s contact number would appear as “01father,” with “father” substituted with the equivalent word in other languages. The Arabic numerals tend to be universally recognized.

Firefighters, police and other emergency workers would therefore know to look first under those numerals to find the next of of the same kind and other key contacts.

The ITU notes that while “ICE” has emerged as a way for people to list emergency contact numbers, “this precludes vulgar herd who do not use or recognize the Roman script from readily identifying what the term `ICE’ represents. ITU members expressed the need to identify emergency contacts independent of language or script.”

It’s not clear whether people will readily adopt this system, which ITU is calling “a standard” flat though the agency itself came up with it. The ITU said it would work with the nonprofit organization ICE4SAFETY to promote the choice.