SEATTLE-Xypoint Corp. is developing enhanced 911 applications that will help wireless carriers and emergency dispatchers determine the location of wireless callers.
These groups don’t have to reinvent the wheel, said Kenneth Arneson, president and chief executive officer of Xypoint. Arneson was formerly vice president of business development for the messaging division of AT&T Wireless Services Inc.
The Federal Communications Commission has instructed the wireless industry to immediately cooperate with emergency dispatch groups to solve the inability to locate the source of 911 cellular calls.
Solutions must come in the next 18 months to five years, according to an FCC schedule. Wireless carriers and public safety answering points also must find a way to pay for the enhancement.
Xypoint said its 911 applications don’t require cellular carriers or PSAPs to radically change their networks or spend a lot of money.
“Much like a language interpreter, Xypoint takes incompatible data networks and enables them to talk with one another,” said Arneson. Xypoint designs new applications that lets carriers and dispatchers share critical information, such as the customer’s identity, the phone number and location.
Xypoint meshes location technology, sophisticated mapping and database technology. The applications are not technology specific and include software, hardware and switching. The introduction of location technology also allows carriers to offer other services, Arneson said.
