Any woman in distress can now send the SOS to police by long-pressing the digit ‘9’ on the cell phone.The alert service will also send an SOS to any nine selected mobile numbers along with the police. It is more effective on smart phones and the mobile manufacturers and service providers have come forward to install the upgrade free of cost for basic handsets too. It is reported that Woman and Child Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi is plays a key role in the implementation of the initiative. The service is most likely to be started off in March next year.The department of telecommunications, however, is yet to send a formal order to the service providers to offer a software upgrade on all existing phones.