AT&T said the ESInet NG911 platform will support text messages, eventually pictures and video
In a move to facilitate the upgrade of legacy 911 systems to an IP architecture, AT&T launched its ESInet “next-generation” 911 service the carrier can support text messages, and eventually pictures and videos.
The deployment, which AT&T said meets National Emergency Number Association i3 standards, uses West Corp.’s technology that is set to be installed in the telecom operator’s central offices and data centers over the next 18 months. Commercial launch of the platform across AT&T’s 21-state footprint is scheduled for later this year, with the telecom operator claiming the service will include enough call processing capacity to serve more than twice the current nationwide 911 call volumes.
The deployment announcement comes on the heels of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler applauding the formation of the NG911 Now Coalition, which is focused on the implementation of next-generation 911 services.
“Over the past year, I have been very vocal about the fact that the transition to next-generation 911 is stalled and we need an all-out effort to accelerate it,” Wheeler said. “[The] announcement of a new coalition to hasten the NG911 transition is welcome news. Modernizing the nation’s 911 system will take work from many stakeholders – including the FCC, state and local 911 authorities and legislatures, industry and Congress – but together we can save lives.”
The FCC last year fined telecom operators more than $40 million for offenses related to 911 service support. The FCC is also pushing for greater indoor location accuracy, having last year rolled out new rules requiring service providers to provide 911 responders with a caller’s indoor location within 164 feet in 40% of cases, improving to 60% of cases by 2020.
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