The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) proclaims, "In the past 15 years, advancements in modern communications technology have put a spotlight on the need for a more appropriate system for accessing emergency care - in essence, a 9-1-1 system that is able to adapt rapidly to new technology and support new communications devices".
NENA has been very instrumental in helping develop standards for 9-1-1 that incorporate new technology and benefits without sacrificing the reliability of the legacy system. NENA's mission is to foster the technological advancement, availability and implementation of a universal emergency telephone number system (9-1-1).
The Challenge: Legacy to Next Gen 9-1-1
Public Safety is one of the most demanding of industries where lives depend on mission critical systems that must be reliable, robust, yet functional.
The existing emergency network architecture between the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and PSAP Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) has not substantially changed since its introduction 40 years ago. Likewise, the design of PSAP CPE has also lagged behind industry IT trends. The legacy design of receiving and dispatching calls for service today presents many challenges and opportunities as the Emergency Services network embraces, integrates and deploys VoIP services.
Through Emergency CallWorx, agencies can now procure CPE that supports robust data and voice capabilities, streamlines dispatch operations, consolidates reporting, and provides non-traditional communications that both reduces cost and provides immense benefit to the agencies and the public they are chartered to support. Emergency CallWorx has the right experience, industry allies and products to be your primary partner in the deployment and migration of a national emergency services network (ESInet).
Next Gen 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1)
NENA's NG9-1-1 standard defines the architecture and multiple IP protocol functions or interfaces for the Emergency Services IP network (ESInet). ESInet, also referenced as "i3", is designed as an IP-based network shared by all agencies which may be involved in any emergency, and defines recommended standards for functions and interfaces between elements within an ESInet. It provides a Stage 2 definition to include 1) interactions between origination networks and the ESInet, 2) functional requirements and their interactions within an ESInet and 3) call delivery to a public safety agency such as a PSAP.
Fully embracing Next Generation 9-1-1 technology, along with VoIP functionality, provides the industry with many benefits that go beyond the traditional PSTN legacy infrastructure. For instance, benefits derived from deploying Emergency CallWorx's truly integrated technologies are:
- Fundamentally revise the workflow and streamline the "call-taking to dispatch" response process
- Performs the way the agency or call-taker works
- Consolidate reporting and statistical data (from initial 911 call through dispatch and closing of incident)
- Conforms to current legacy requirements
- Ready for i3, ESInet and equivalents connectivity
- Increase interoperability and intra-agency connectivity, communication
- Reduce costly implementation, integrations and interfaces
- Hold on-going maintenance costs in check
Issues with Legacy
Traditionally, a wire line 9-1-1 call goes over the Public Safety Answering Point (PSTN) to a selective router that routes the call to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) based on the caller's telephone number. The PSAP then queries an Automatic Location Information (ALI) Database that associates the telephone number with the caller's address. The caller's information is displayed at the PSAP and the correct emergency services are dispatched to the location. The selective routing and the displayed information are the result of upfront Service Order batch processing into the ALI database. Since wire line services are static, this is a very reliable, albeit antiquated, mechanism for emergency calls.
But what about Wireless? SMS and Text Messaging? Internet-routed or VoIP calls?
Each day wireless phone users place tens of thousands of calls to 9-1-1. Until recently, 9-1-1 systems could not automatically determine wireless callers' locations, requiring 9-1-1 operators to rely on information provided by the caller, who may be injured, lost or confused.
This challenge has been further compounded with new technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), SMS and text messaging. With VoIP, the telephony service can be static (provided from a device that stays in one location such as most cable modems), or nomadic, where the service can be initiated on a device that can move while the number stays the same; or mobile, where the device can be continuously moving similar to cellular.
VoIP static users tend to use the service as a replacement for their landline telephones, and 9-1-1 is supported much like the traditional landline model by placing location and telephone number information in the ALI and selective router. However, if the subscriber does not use a telephone number that is "native" to the selective router for his/her geographic area, problems will arise since the selective router cannot recognize numbers outside of its serving area. Nomadic users of VoIP devices have the same issue with non-native numbers as well as a potential problem if the user doesn't update his/her address when moving the device. The 9-1-1 call could route to the address on file that could be thousands of miles from the caller's new location. Mobile VoIP service is similar to cellular technology because the service is always on the move and connected.
Legacy Benefits
The legacy 9-1-1 system is highly reliable for the customers it serves. Legacy communication services must continue to be able to access 9-1-1 as the PSTN will remain in service in some locations for many decades. A related constraint is that neighboring 9-1-1 systems must remain viable as NG9-1-1 is incrementally deployed by localities. The reliability, robustness and security of the 9-1-1 system must not degrade as new access technologies and corresponding risks and challenges are introduced into the system. Most organizations believe that federal regulatory actions should not be the primary driving force to implement NG9-1-1. That is, the operational and economic benefits should justify the public and private transition to NG9-1-1 and not critically depend on federal regulatory or funding incentives.
However, trends in telecommunications mobility and convergence have put the 9-1-1 system at a crossroads. The growing market penetration of both cellular and VoIP telephony have underscored the limitations of the current 9-1-1 infrastructure. The current 9-1-1 system, based on decade's old technology, cannot handle the text, data, images, and video that are increasingly common in personal communications and critical to future transportation safety and mobility advances. It is imperative to understand that while the current 9-1-1 system is an analog technology in an overwhelmingly digital world, it has been and continues to be reliable for the vast majority of the customers it serves.
