Motorola addresses 911 location in Tandem >BY Jason Meyers, Wireless Networks Editor

Motorola is attempting to eliminate the middleman in the wireless carriers' quest to provide enhanced 911 location information with a solution that can be integrated into an existing network.

Motorola's Wireless E911 solution is designed to help carriers meet the first phase of the Federal Communications Commission's mandate that network operators provide a wireless 911 caller's phone number and cell site location. The system uses databases already on a network's home location register (HLR) and collects cell site information from the mobile switching center.

"This is the first wireless network-based solution that's being offered from a vendor, and we plan to implement it into our overall intelligent network," said Doug McGee, Motorola's product manager for the Wireless E911 system, adding that the solution is not exclusive to Motorola networks and can operate in multivendor environments.

Motorola believes its solution is ideal for network operators that have already made an investment in intelligent network technology. "We're just adding another function to the [service control point] HLR," McGee said.

To meet the second phase of the FCC ruling, which requires carriers to provide a caller's location within 125 meters, carriers will need to install location-finding equipment at cell sites. Motorola plans to meet that need but is not yet divulging its specific plans, McGee said.

The current solution was developed in conjunction with Tandem, which is supplying HLR middleware on its service control point intelligent network server. Tapping into information and equipment already in the network is the most economical and logical way to meet these requirements, said Bob Wells, marketing director of wireless for Tandem.

"Other companies that provide 911 services offer an add-on arrangement," said Wells. "From a carrier's perspective, the more applications they can put into a network element, the more efficient it becomes."

Tandem is working on broadening its own offering and plans to announce enhancements at PCS '96 later this month, Wells said.