Wireless Technology Plugged as a Solution to FCC’s E-911 Mandate

Many of the largest wireless carriers cited network-based technology as a solution to meeting the Federal Communications Commission's mandate for locating wireless 911 callers.

In order to meet FCC guidelines to have the location systems in place by Oct. 1, 2001, wireless companies were required to submit their plans by Nov. 9. FCC required wireless carriers report how they would implement FCC’s Phase II of its E-911 requirements by choosing either a network or handset based approach.

U.S. Wireless Corp. said its “location pattern matching” technology was cited by Verizon, Cingular, Western Wireless and AT&T as a potential solution for meeting the requirements. The technology would allow emergency assistance 911 operators to identify the location calls from the more than 100 million people who own wireless telephones in the United States, the company said.

U.S. Wireless said that, according to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Assoc., more than 35 million wireless calls were placed to 911 emergency call centers in 1998. Because wireless carriers’ locations are unable to be immediately identified, it causes delays in emergency response time, the company said.

U.S. Wireless said the FCC mandate “is fueling a race for the deployment of automatic location technologies across wireless communication networks. Once the market matures, it could generate $4 billion a year in annual service revenues.”

U.S. Wireless provides mobile location and traffic-related information to wireless carriers, Internet providers and public safety and transportation companies. The company is building a national location network, based on its RadioCamera(TM) location pattern-matching technology. The technology pinpoints the location of cellular callers to enable the delivery of mobile services, including emergency 911-caller location.