WASHINGTON—Cingular Wireless L.L.C., which has committed to completing the initial deployment of enhanced 911 Phase II by the end of 2002, received the support on Thursday of the Communications for Coordinated Assistance and Response to Emergencies (ComCARE) Alliance.
“Emergency response professionals cannot save you if they cannot find you. Simply put, Cingular’s substantial commitment to deploying E911 location technology will save lives,” said Marsha Scherr, executive director for the ComCARE Alliance.
E911 service is being deployed in two phases.
Phase I required carriers to supply a callback number and cell-site location information to public-safety answering points. The deadline was April 1, 1998. Reports vary but the general consensus is that Phase I is just now being seriously deployed.
Phase II requires more precise location information. The deadline is Oct. 1. Handset-based solutions must be able to locate the caller within 50 meters 67 percent of the time and within 150 meters 95 percent of the time. Network-based solutions must be able to locate the caller within 100 meters 67 percent of the time and within 300 meters 95 percent of the time.
Carriers choosing a handset-based solution have until Oct. 1 to start selling handsets with automatic location information. By Dec. 31, 25 percent of all new handsets activated must be ALI-capable. This number rises to 50 percent on June 30, 2002, and 100 percent on Dec. 31, 2002. Carriers choosing network-based solutions must deploy the solution within six months of a PSAP request. Many PSAPs have already sent in requests triggering the Oct. 1 deadline.
Cingular has filed a request for a waiver at the Federal Communications Commission saying it could not meet the Oct. 1 deadline but that it had contracted with TruePosition Inc. to deploy a TDMA network overlay in areas served by PSAPs that have made valid Phase II requests by the end of 2002. Areas served by future PSAP requests would then be deployed within six months of the request. The FCC has not yet acted on Cingular’s request.
