TELUS (News - Alert) is reportedly helping Canada's emergency service providers better identify the location of wireless 911 calls with today's most advanced Global Positioning System and triangulation technologies.

 

The company has now implemented phase II enhanced wireless 911 services across its three wireless networks, which are based on HSPA, CDMA, and iDEN technologies. TELUS has been working with individual 911 operations centers across the country to test and bring phase II e911 (News - Alert) technology online for many months.

 

Eros Spadotto, executive vice president of Technology Strategy at TELUS said that through the partnership with 911 and emergency services operations centers across Canada, this new enhanced 911 service will make mobile devices an even better public safety tool in an emergency.

 

'This is a complex and technically challenging project, involving new technology that needs to be tested in every local 911 operation center, each with its own technology and approach,” he said. “We are pleased that the contributions of the TELUS team are bringing this important capability to our clients and Canadians.'

 

The new technology allows TELUS and other wireless carriers to pass enhanced location information to 911 operators, helping them to be better able to locate an emergency 911 caller using a wireless device with the applicable technology. The system uses a combination of the most advanced GPS technology available, as well as cell tower trilateration to provide the most accurate possible location information, depending on the handset type. Each technology has different strengths, with assisted GPS providing the best possible location. In ideal conditions, assisted GPS should be able to locate a caller within 50 meters.

 

Most handsets already in use and all new handsets offered by TELUS have the GPS or other technologies required for Phase II e911.

 

Phase I wireless e911 was launched in 2005, giving emergency operators a wireless caller's phone number and the location of the cellular site carrying the call. Some older handsets lack the technology to provide the more precise Phase II location information, and will fall back to providing 911 operators with Phase 1 information.

 

Phase II e911 is a complex project requiring coordination between wireless carriers, and third party 911 operator centers (called public safety answering points or PSAPs), and emergency services. While TELUS is offering this enhanced service across its networks, a small number of PSAPs have not yet integrated the required technology or training. TELUS is continuing to work with those PSAPs to implement the new system as soon as they are ready in the coming weeks.

 

As a result of these efforts, TELUS will meet the February 1st deadline set out by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

 

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