With location-based routing, a device can be located and routed within 50 meters of its location.
AT&T [T] this week announced the launch of the nation’s first location-based emergency call routing system that automatically transmits wireless 911 calls to call centers. The new Locate Before Route feature, built by Intrado, allows AT&T to quickly identify where a wireless 911 call is coming from using device GPS and hybrid information, the company said.
AT&T said with location-based routing, a device can be located and routed within 50 meters of the device location. The company said that prior to the feature’s launch, wireless 911 calls were routed based on the location of cell towers, which cause delays in emergency response.
The company said that because 68 percent of adults don’t have a landline in their homes, connections to the call centers, also call PSAPs, are critical.
While AT&T says it is the only carrier to provide accurate solutions, reducing 911 call transfers beyond FCC requirements, T-Mobile [TMUS] also launched location-based routing and next generation IP over IP, but it is not available nationwide.
AT&T’s nationwide Locate Before Route rollout, scheduled to be completed by the end of June, is available in Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Guam. Additional regions will be rolled out over the next several weeks, the company said.
