Research Highlights Deficiencies in Canada's Proposed Wireless E911 Services

Canadian public safety experts view Canada as "late in the game" in adopting new rules to implement wireless enhanced emergency (E911) services and there is a definitive need for regulators to play a stronger role in setting national wireless E911 policies and standards, a new research study conducted by IDC Canada reveals.

The research includes a comparative study by IDC on wireless enhanced E911 services offered in Canada, the United States and Europe. In addition, IDC sought the views of a select number of leading Canadian first responder organizations that are stakeholders in the use of wireless E 911 services and Canada's approach to implementation.

Although safety officials at first responder organizations generally applaud the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) for releasing a policy on wireless E911 in early 2009, it has left important features to further study and implementation at an unspecified time. There is a general consensus that this lag in adoption and lack of accuracy standards will continue to impede the provision of effective location-based emergency dispatch services to wireless users by Canadian public safety bodies. There is a widely recognized need among the Canadian public safety community for the CRTC to take a definitive leadership role in cooperation with municipalities in setting national wireless E911 policies and standards.

Recent experience in Canada demonstrates that the wide-spread adoption of wireless communications poses a number of problems for public safety officials, particularly how to effectively dispatch emergency response services when 911 calls are made on cell phones.

There are more than 21 million wireless subscribers in Canada and over half of all 911 calls in Canada and the U.S. now come from cell phones.

Although cellular phones are often viewed as safety devices, it is not commonly realized that 911 calls may not be located accurately - delaying the response time. Under many circumstances, caller location has to be verified verbally and is therefore subject to human error, increasing the risk of life-threatening emergencies if a caller is unable to speak.

"Effective implementation of wireless enhanced E911 services is of great concern to emergency service providers particularly with major international events, such as the 2010 Olympics, coming to Canada," said Lawrence Surtees, IDC Canada Vice President, Communications Research and Principal Analyst. "Canada is significantly lagging behind the U.S. as well as Europe in adopting wireless emergency service technology. This technology exists today and it is imperative that Canada's emergency call centres are well equipped to quickly and accurately pinpoint the location of a 9-1-1 cell phone caller."

The U.S. took the lead in putting the issue of wireless E-911 on the agenda 15 years ago, mandating that all cell phone manufacturers must ensure that their handsets are E911 capable.

The CRTC recently required Canadian wireless service providers to implement a wireless Phase II E911 service, noting that an equivalent service is currently deployed in the U.S. However, the CRTC's Phase II E911 policy is deficient compared to the services currently provided to U.S. wireless users.

Posted to the site on 29th June 2009