There is an optimistic future for 911 wireless location accuracy

There are pros and cons to each of these approaches, but the biggest drawback might be that they are outdoor-oriented technologies—it seems counter-intuitive to leverage such technology to solve an indoor location challenge. And it might not be necessary to do so, because the potential exists to take advantage of indoor-location technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that already are widely deployed across the country and being used for commercial location services.

Wi-Fi access points, for example, are literally everywhere, and Wi-Fi capability is a common feature in virtually every wireless smartphone. Today, more than 125 million Wi-Fi access points blanket the country, providing consumers with wireless access in their homes, offices, or virtually any public place (e.g., hotels, convention centers, and coffee shops). Imagine being able to leverage this ubiquitous technology to supplement and enhance 911 location information, especially when calling from indoors. Bluetooth technology offers similar benefits.  Already used for location services by the retail sector, Bluetooth is expected to grow to more than 60 million devices in the next five years.

Recently, two of the nation’s largest public-safety organizations—the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA)—and the four nationwide wireless carriers announced a plan to leverage these pervasive wireless technologies to provide more accurate location information for wireless 911 calls made from indoors. This “Roadmap for Improving E911 Location Accuracy” has been presented to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for review as the agency considers new regulations applicable to 911 services.

This deal comes on the heels of a similar agreement between industry and the public-safety community that has spawned the launch of new text-to-911 capabilities that promise similar advances to 911 systems and services. Hopefully, this new agreement will have a similar impact, promoting a rapid adoption of technologies that will provide first responders with the tools and information they need.

Of course, no single technology will solve the wireless location problem, as each has its own pros and cons. An effective solution likely will require multiple technologies, and continued development and evaluation of all these technologies should be encouraged and supported. This certainly should include technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that are widely available in the commercial sector, because leveraging commercial technology would provide location solutions more quickly.

Lately, there’s been a good bit of rhetoric concerning whether wireless location accuracy has worsened. From a technology perspective, it hasn’t. Wireless location technologies have advanced considerably during the past 20 years, and today’s 911 systems deliver accurate and timely Phase II location information—in accordance with the FCC’s rules—better than they ever have. Claims to the contrary should be duly scrutinized.

What is true is that new rules and new solutions are needed to ensure that accurate location information is provided for indoor calls—something that has never been required by the FCC but is desperately needed. Recent advancements in technology indicate that there’s great promise for effectively addressing this problem in the years ahead. Let’s ensure that occurs by encouraging continued innovation and collaboration between industry and public safety. The FCC can help promote these advancements by ensuring its policies are technology neutral and that its rules do not inadvertently advantage one technology or exclude another. Let’s continue our progress by working together to achieve the critical goal of quickly locating every 911 caller, every time.

George Rice is executive director of the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT), which represents the commercial sector in matters related to emergency communications. He can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].