State Enhanced 9-1-1 Program. Camp Murry, Washington
Emergency Management Division, Washington Military Department
January 27, 2003 4:00 a.m

9-1-1- CENTERS SOON TO RECOGNIZE WIRELESS PHONE NUMBERS 

CAMP MURRY, WA - Fortunately for the vast majority of Washington wireless phone users quicker 9-1-1- emergency response is just around the corner.  Washington's 73 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP's) have requested wireless phone carriers to begin providing the wireless phone's call back number to 9-1-1 communications center.  The automatic display of the caller's phone number and address at the 9-1-1 center is standard when placing a 9-1-1 call on a wire-line telephone.

All of Washington's 39 counties have now requested Phase I service form wireless phone carriers doing business in Washington.  Some counties and wireless phone carriers already have Phase I service in place.  By Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate, wireless carriers must provide, within six months of the county request, automatic display of the wireless phone's call back number at the PSAP.  AT&T Wireless, Cricket Communications, Cingular Wireless, Inland Cellular, Nextel, Qwest Wireless, Rural Cell, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile USA, US Cellular and Verizon Wireless have received requests from the counties.

Once wireless Phase I is implemented a wireless 9-1-1 call at the PSAP will automatically display the wireless phone's call back number on the call taker's computer monitor.  This is important should the wireless phone call be interrupted or the caller is unable to speak.

"With one third of all calls to 9-1-1 now being made on wireless phones, and with the projection that by 2005 the majority of all 9-1-1 calls will be placed on cell phones, the 9-1-1 industry must assure personal safety of all wireless phone users," said Bob Oenning, Washington State E911 Administrator.

"Personal safety sells wireless phones, and wireless phones do not now provide critical information to the 9-1-1 call center to assure timely response for the caller," Oenning affirmed.  "We hope to improve response delivery now that all the counties have approached the wireless carriers to provide automatic call back phone numbers."

Even with the implementation of wireless Phase I, 9-1-1 call takers will still be unable to automatically locate emergency victims or callers.  This is where wireless Phase II comes into play.  Wireless Phase II will require wireless phone carriers to provide far more precise location information, within 50 to 100 meters in many cases.  The FCC established a four-year rollout schedule for wireless Phase II, beginning Oct. 1, 2001 to be completed by Dec. 31, 2005.

In 1997 the FCC established a two-phase plan to provide automatic number identification (ANI) and automatic location identification (ALI) service on all wireless phones.  This service, knows as the Enhanced 9-1-1 (E911_ system, has been in place on all wire-line phones in Washington since 1999.  Wireless phones currently only permit 9-1-1 dialing with no provisions for ANI or ALI.  The FCC's ruling, ordering of wireless Phase I service, begins to integrate the wireless telephone to the E911 system.

With the benefits of technology in hand or on the way, the challenge of providing wireless ANI and ALI may soon be a thing of the past.  Wireless telephone users should be able to rest assured that in the future help will be on its way when they dial 9-1-1 from their wireless phone.