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Apr. 9, 2007

The Federal Communications Commission wants to improve the accuracy of 911 locating technology in the wireless segment.

Federal laws in the U.S. require that wireless providers guarantee that callers can be located anywhere in an emergency.

However, in many cases, the FCC says that the system can be inaccurate by several miles.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said "this is something we always want to be improving on. We have to make sure public safety doesn't lose because we don't take advantage of the changes in technology."

An association of emergency responders has requested tighter requirements on how accuracy is measured. Martin said he supports the responders' request and that he will open a new inquiry at the FCC that may lead to significant changes in how mobile phone companies manufacture handsets.

This is a growing issue, as the number of 911 calls from cell phones exceeds those coming from landlines. CTIA claims that each day, more than 230,000 emergency (911) calls are made from cell phones.

Currently, wireless providers and cell phone manufactures can use two different location technologies: triangulation through cell phone towers, or satellite technology embedded in the phone.

The problem with triangulation is that the caller needs to be near three towers, which is not very common in rural areas.

Whereas satellite technology works better in rural areas, but is not reliable in dense urban areas either.

The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials has urged the commission to require testing be done on a community-level basis and that providers share their data accuracy with emergency responders.

Kevin Martin agrees with both proposals. He also said he will address the dual technology issue, which could have quite an effect on handset manufacturers in the foreseeable future.

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Source: Wireless Week