India Post ramps up SMS and GPS options
India Post has announced that, from September, customers will receive messages on their mobile phones regarding the status of their mail, parcels, money orders and other deliveries. In addition, India Post reportedly plans to start tracking its postal delivery staff – in some regions, at least – with the help of GPS-enabled handheld devices.
“From September, we will send SMS to people informing them about arrival of parcel at nearest centre and time period when it will be delivered,” India Post Chief Postmaster General for Delhi, Vasumitra, told local media.
He was quoted as saying that GPS-enabled handheld devices are being bought for use in rural areas, and that “there is a provision” for purchasing more for the big cities. Furthermore, the official reportedly said that India Post was “in process of procuring 1,000 additional devices for pilot project in Delhi which will show us [the] time when postmen visited various addresses. It should be in place within three months.”
