Emergency response, Wireless industry answers E911 call

Recent developments in the wireless enhanced 911 arena indicate that everyone involved is pushing for timely resolution of the issue, but concerns about the costs involved with meeting government directives still persist.

Xypoint has announced that its wireless E911 system will be tested in Vanguard Cellular Systems' network in Allentown, Pa. Xypoint's system ports caller information from wireless networks to public safety answering points (PSAPs) - the dispatch centers for emergency service providers - relieving cellular carriers of having to tailor caller data to the specifications of individual emergency operators. Vanguard is the first carrier to conduct a commercial trial of the system.

"This will be tested in the field with real wireless 911 calls," said Ken Arneson, president of Xypoint. "This isn't stuff we pulled out of the lab - it's the real thing.

Xypoint's solution helps meet the first phase of the Federal Communications Commission order on the issue, which requires carriers to provide the location of the cell site handling the call and callback information. The system will not meet the more stringent location requirements of the second phase of the FCC order without additional base station equipment, but it can provide a migration path.

"One of the good things about the Xypoint system is that it easily integrates with [location] equipment," said Mike Mallory, product manager at Vanguard.

One of the alternatives to a third-party solution such as Xypoint's is to rely on local exchange carrier networks to translate and transport the required information from wireless carriers to PSAPs, said Arneson.

"[The LEC solution] will get the job done for phase one. The problem is there's no migration to phase two location technology," Arneson said. "We're dealing with wireless carriers who only want to go through this one time.

The location technology required to meet the second phase of the order is also making some early progress. TruePosition announced last week that it has completed a 100-day trial of its location system in Comcast Cellular's New Jersey network. The trial tested the system's ability to help carriers comply with both phases of the FCC order.

During the location portion of the test, 3505 wireless 911 callers were located and had their calls routed to the closest PSAP. The phase one portion yielded callback numbers for 1697 more callers that were routed to PSAPs with cell site location information.

Participants in the trial said the results are proof that location technology works, but carriers that must implement it are still concerned with what they must pay to do so. Mallory estimated that it would cost more than $20 million to equip all 400 cell sites in Vanguard's network with location equipment. "The systems are very expensive, and we're definitely not in a position to spend that capital," he said.

But Lou Stilp, vice president and general manager of TruePosition, pointed out that location technology can also be used for revenue-generating and revenue-protecting services such as location-sensitive billing, fleet management and fraud location. Stilp acknowledged that the cost of deploying location technology is still high but said TruePosition will help finance implementation until volume drives costs down.

"Most carriers are interested in having us put up the capital, deploy it and operate it for them," Stilp said. "We've committed to that."

METAWAVE PROVIDES ASSISTS The network services group of Metawave Communications has secured network installation agreements with Advanced Radio Telecom and Arizona Cellular Communications. Metawave will install microwave equipment in both companies' networks.

CONESTOGA TAPS NORTEL Conestoga Wireless has granted a three-year, $20 million contract for GSM network infrastructure equipment to Northern Telecom. Nortel will provide GSM switches, radio base stations and services for Conestoga's D/E/F block PCS markets in Reading, Pottsville, Sunbury and Williamsport, Pa.

GTE TSI CLEARS PRIMECO GTE Telecommunication Services Inc. will provide its RoamerXchange service for PrimeCo Personal Communications PCS networks. The database management systems will facilitate the exchange of roamer data between PrimeCo and its roaming partners.