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WIRELESS
COMMUNICATIONS
Wireless Statistics
In our increasingly wireless society, more and more of the mobile
public is dialing 911 every day—about 86 million people were
subscribers of wireless telephone service in 1999, and it's estimated
that nearly 46,000 more Americans become wireless subscribers every
day.
It is estimated
that of the 150 million calls that were made to 9-1-1 in 2000, 45
million of them were made by wireless telephone users—that’s 30
percent. This is a ten-fold increase from nearly 4.3 million wireless
9-1-1 calls just 10 years ago, and the number will more than double to
100 million calls in the next five years. It is anticipated that by
2005, the majority of 911 calls will be from wireless callers.
What is Wireless 911?
In most areas of North America, most citizens have basic or
enhanced 911 service from their landline, or wireline, phones in
their homes or workplaces. Basic 911 means that when the
three-digit number is dialed, a call taker/dispatcher in the local
public safety answering point (PSAP), or 911 center, answers the
call. The emergency and its location are communicated by voice
between the caller and the call taker. In areas serviced by Enhanced
911 (E911), the local 911 center has equipment and database
information that allow the call taker to see the caller's phone number
and address on a display. This lets them quickly dispatch emergency
help, even if the caller is unable to communicate where they are or
what the emergency is. Arlington 911 has Enhanced 911
service.
However, when 911 calls are
made from wireless phones, the call may not be routed to the closest
911 center, and the call taker doesn't receive the callback phone
number or the location of the caller. This presents life threatening
problems due to lost response time, if callers are unable to speak or
don't know where they are, or if they don't know their wireless phone
callback number and the call is dropped.
Here are some helpful hints when dialing 911 from
a wireless phone:
- Providing an accurate address is critically
important.
- Give an exact street number and street name if
possible or closest intersection.
- Provide a business name or landmark if address is
unknown.
- Do not hang-up until your call is answered!
- Know your cellphone number!
Enhanced Wireless 911
The wireless Enhanced 911 (E911) rules, established by the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC), seek to improve the effectiveness and
reliability of wireless 911 service by providing 911 dispatchers with
additional information on wireless 911 calls.
The wireless E911 program is divided into two parts
- Phase I and Phase II. Phase I requires carriers, upon appropriate
request by a local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), to report the
telephone number of a wireless 911 caller and the location of the
antenna that received the call. Phase II requires wireless carriers to
provide far more precise location information, within 50 to 100 meters
in most cases.
The deployment of E911 requires the development of
new technologies and upgrades to local 911 PSAPs, as well as
coordination among public safety agencies, wireless carriers,
technology vendors, equipment manufacturers, and local wireline
carriers. The FCC established a four-year rollout schedule for Phase
II, beginning October 1, 2001 and to be completed by December 31,
2005. Below is a table showing the timeline established by the
FCC for phase II compliance.
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