Unwiring Emergencies

A whopping 73 million wireless calls were made to 911 emergency lines last year, according to data from the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association. That may seem like a lot, but when put into context alongside other statistics the numbers become staggering. When compared with the overall wireless subscriber base in the U.S., CTIA found, on average, one out of every two subscribers made a 911 call from their mobile phones in 2003, and compared against overall 911 statistics roughly 35% of an estimated 200 million 911 calls were made from wireless handsets. On average, 198,729 wireless 911 calls were made each day in 2003. Compare that with 1985 when the nascent U.S. wireless industry produced only a mere 530 emergency calls. Wireless and public safety are becoming irrevocably intertwined.