Wilmington, NC (November 14, 2011) — The American Association of Paging Carriers has changed its name to the Critical Messaging Association. The Association, which was founded in 2002, is the only U.S. trade group for companies that provide paging and critical messaging products and services. Emergency healthcare professionals, first responders and public safety personnel – who require reliable, fast communications during a crisis or disaster – have been the core critical messaging user since paging was first introduced in the early 1960’s.
“Our name change reflects the continued importance of the critical messaging segment within the overall communications industry, as well the broad array of products and technologies, in addition to paging, that now support the delivery of time-sensitive and critical messages,” said Critical Messaging Association President J. Roy Pottle. “We invite anyone with a role in this dynamic industry to consider the benefits of being a member of the Critical Messaging Association.”
The Critical Messaging Association (CMA) has launched a new Web site in conjunction with the name change, www.criticalmessagingassociation.org. The Web site allows new members to join online and gives existing members the ability to update company and employee information and pay dues online. In addition to networking with other CMA members and an alliance with the European Mobile Messaging Association, CMA provides regulatory advocacy on key industry issues. CMA will hold its 2012 Global Critical Messaging Convention March 27-29 in Austin, Texas.
“While paging’s point to multi-point, simulcast technology remains the gold standard for critical messaging during times of crisis or disaster, new devices and platforms that offer redundancy and message delivery to non-critical recipients are increasingly part of an integrated solution,” added Mr. Pottle. “This was a key factor we considered when changing the association name and expanding our focus to include any business with a stake in time-sensitive and critical messaging.”
