112 is a part of the GSM standard and all GSM-compatible telephone handsets are able to dial 112 even when locked or, in some countries, with no SIM card present.
In some countries, calls to 112 are not connected directly but forwarded by the GSM network to local emergency numbers (e.g., 911 in North America, 999 in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, and 000 in Australia).
The International Telecommunication Union recommends that member states selecting a primary or secondary emergency number choose either 911, 112 or both.
[23] 112 is managed and financed in the European Union by each member state (country), who also decide on the organization of the emergency call centres.
Member States are also required to make sure that access to the emergency services for people with disabilities is equivalent to that enjoyed by other end-users.
The eCall feature for automated emergency calls on crash, mandatory on European cars since April 2018, is based on E112.
Article 110 of the European Electronic Communications Code makes it mandatory for all Member States of the European Union to deploy, by June 2022, a system that enables public authorities to immediately warn all the people present in a determined area of an ongoing or developing threat directly on their mobile phones.