The 411 on E911

When calling 911 from a mobile phone, the operator may not be able to identify the location of the originating call. However, the telecom industry has recently developed innovative technology, called enhanced 911 or E911, that can identify wireless call locations.

Over the past few years, mobile phone providers have taken measures to meet a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule mandating that mobile phone companies provide wireless call location information to 911 operators. While telecommunications companies are helping to ensure FCC compliance, they're also boosting consumer sales.

While not all mobile phone companies offer E911 services to their customers today, telecommunications companies have prepared networks to provide E911 services.

• The first phase allows the 911 operator to see the mobile phone caller's number so that a dispatcher can reach the person if the call is dropped.
• The second phase allows the dispatcher to see the caller's approximate location displayed on a map so that the dispatcher can quickly and easily direct emergency responders to the area.

According to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) (an organization that supports 911 research, training and education), approximately 69 percent of the 6,140 emergency 911 call centers have executed the final phase for E911. These call centers, also known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are now equipped with technology and databases necessary to use E911 location information.

“Significant progress is being made,” Roger Hixson, NENA technical issues director, told CNET News. “It could all be happening more quickly, but there are a lot of things to be done to make sure this works. Getting the carriers ready was a long process, and finding the funding and coordinating the local PSAPs is also going to take some time,” he said.

However, upgrading PSAPs for E911 is not cheap. According to Hixson, it would cost somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 to equip the typical call center with technology necessary for the service. By adding the cost of building databases that hold information about local highways, and topography of the area, the price could skyrocket to $1 million for a single PSAP.

The FCC estimates that mobile phone callers place about one-third of the 200 million calls made to 911 each year. After all, many people buy cell phones specifically for emergency use. According to Consumer Reports , about 30 percent of people who purchased a cell phone in the past year report they bought it for emergencies.

Since October 2006, every U.S. state except Missouri has passed legislation to fund E911 deployment and maintenance. That's quite an improvement when just a few years ago 10 states did not have any financial backing for the service.

It may take a few more years before each state's funds are built up enough to begin call center upgrades. For now, 911 operators want mobile phone callers to assume that their location is unknown when calling 911. Therefore, it is vital for mobile callers to immediately notify the dispatcher of their location when using a cell phone.

In a few years, E911 wireless locator will simply be another benefit to being a mobile phone user, but the telecommunications companies will be remembered as the driving forces that made this happen.

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