Text-to-911 goes live, and regional carriers are getting ready

The nation’s four largest carriers are turning on text-to-911 services in several areas today as the first step in a process that should be complete by the end of the year. The Federal Communications Commission wants all mobile subscribers in the U.S. to have access to text-to-911 by year-end, but the carriers cannot make it happen on their own. Text messages sent to 911 are handled by local public safety answering points (PSAPs). Slowly but surely, PSAPs are deploying the hardware and software they need to enable the service.
Intrado provides the all-IP platform that most PSAPs are using, and the company has partnered with Interop Technologies, to make the solution available to regional carriers. Interop is a provider of core wireless solutions for advanced messaging, over-the-air handset management, policy control, and connectivity gateways.
“We host quite a bit of the SMS traffic for CCA operators,” explained Damian Sazama, vice president for corporate and product Marketing at Interop. “They use our Interop cloud solution and we provide their text messaging services so it was a natural for us to partner with Intrado and get all the testing and configuration and connectivity in place. When the operators want to start operating text to 911, they can simply enter into an agreement with Intrado and Interop to facilitate the service and they’ll be ready to go. They are ready as soon as the Tier I’s are.”
Nex-Tech Wireless of Kansas was the first regional operator to work with Interop, Intrado and a local PSAP that was ready to go. Sazama said last month that many Nex-Tech subscribers were still getting bounce backs when texting to 911, because the PSAPs in their areas were not ready.
The FCC says mobile subscribers should always place voice calls to 911 if possible. But the agency does want all subscribers to have access to text-to-911. There are times when it is not possible or safe to speak. Also, some children are more likely to ask for help if they can text instead of placing a call.
Follow me on Twitter.
Image source: LinkedIn