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It’s 1875 and there is a race between Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray for registration of an acoustic telephone patent.

Almost 150 years later and our telecommunications networks bear little resemblance to what they were. WHY? Because society and industry demanded it and needed it.

Originally, when the Emergency Service Network used landlines finding a residential addresses was done using the phone number and installation location.  When cellphones were introduced, cell tower triangulation roughly located the mobile caller. And when GPS arrived there was approximate location of the mobile handset, but not a “pinpoint location”.

Steps towards improving mobile location efforts are being made, but so far in 2021 nothing offers a dispatchable address.

Next Generation is NOT Dispatchable Location

Next Generation 112/911 technology plans to allow Emergency Callers to share lifesaving data like videos, texts, and images with emergency call centers. It aims to enhance inter call centre communication and improve system resiliency. It would allow the public to send rich digital data to call centers, or PSAPS, and let PSAPs receive data from devices such as wearables and car computers. This information is important because it can help EMS responders make more informed decisions, ensure faster response and keep EMS responders safer with improved situational awareness.

Our Industry talks about the importance of Next Generation Services, and it is hugely important; however, how valuable is a Next Generation service if it doesn’t have the accurate LOCATION element, the Dispatchable Address?

The FCC requires dispatchable location information to be conveyed with 9-1-1 calls so first responders can more quickly locate the caller. They define dispatchable location as the street address of the caller, and additional information, such as room or floor number.

So Next Generation Services need to have a Dispatchable address…the “right door to knock on”

Changing how data is received will help Responders do their job more effectively…but if they don’t have the dispatchable location, then what is the point of all this additional sharing of information?

If we are not moving forward, then we are standing still. If we want to survive, we have to adapt our thinking, and we have to solve an issue that has been plaguing our Industry for a long time… dispatchable location…it’s the FOUNDATION of the system.