Cell Phone Sally is the newest character to help the citizens of Texas become more cell-phone savvy. Unveiled last week by the Texas Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC), the cell-phone awareness campaign mascot will be part of an education campaign to inform people of the limitations of cellular phones when making a 9-1-1 call.

Cell Phone Sally's message will encourage people to verify their cellular phone number, as well as to identify landmarks when making a cellular 9-1-1 call, in order to ensure that emergency response arrives at the correct location.

"Many people do not realize that 9-1-1 centers do not have the technical capability of knowing the location of a cellular phone emergency call," said CSEC executive director Paul Mallett, "Identifying the location of a caller is absolutely necessary to dispatch help in an emergency situation."

Cellular "wireless" phones currently do not transmit address information to a 9-1-1 call center like traditional "wireline" telephones. Cell Phone Sally, said Mallett, will be used to educate the public about this important distinction.

Cell Phone Sally was selected as the character to deliver the messages from a contest involving some 1300 entries. Two elementary school boys each submitted "Cell Phone Sally."

Cell Phone Sally joins Red E. Fox, the 9-1-1 national mascot that helps educate children on the basics of 9-1-1, as a character to educate people about how to use cell phones.