FCC tightens 911 operator requirements

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved a ruling for mobile operators to locate mobile and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) callers who contact the 911 emergency number, reports Broadband Breakfast.com.

“Location accuracy has become increasingly better as handsets integrate GPS but our job is far from being done,” says commissioner Michael Copps.

Wireless operators have eight years to make location tracking during E911 calls more accurate under new FCC regulations, states Wireless Week.

By 2019, 911 call centres must be able to determine a device's location within 50 metres to 150 metres. This will likely require operators to equip phones with technology such as GPS to ensure a greater level of location accuracy.

The order does not state which percentage of phones will have to comply with the new standard. However, 90% of wireless calls must be able to pinpoint a 911 caller's location within 150 meters by 2019, according to an FCC spokesperson.

Fierce Enterprise Communications reveals that the FCC expects the solutions to require participation by both VOIP service providers that offer services directly to customers and broadband providers that provide underlying network connectivity for VOIP calls.

FCC states in a report: “In light of the increasing popularity of VOIP calling, the enhanced mobility of VOIP devices and the evolution of consumer expectations, we consider how we might continue working towards automatic location solutions for VOIP calls to 911.”