Traditional 9-1-1 service has been our essential direct line to police, fire and ambulance responders in times of emergency. As the way in which we communicate changes, and with the proliferations of mobile devices, wireless environments, access networks, etc., adjustments must be made to the overall infrastructure to ensure 9-1-1 services and capabilities are available to everyone, regardless of whether they are using a traditional landline.

As a result, advancements must be made to traditional 9-1-1 capability, taking it into the Next Generation. To explore what is happening in this space, Roger Hixson, Technical Issues Director for the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), presented the webinar: “Next Generation 9-1-1: Originating Service Provider Issues and Impacts”.

Over the next five years, there will be a complete replacement of the nation’s 9-1-1 system through the development of the Next Generation (NG) platform. This move to a software database-driven NG system is necessary to accommodate network services where there is no contractual relationship between service provider and access provider.

NENA has identified that while E9-1-1 was a step in the right direction, it cannot handle the scope of technologies available today let alone those that are emerging. Hixson said today’s emergency network wasn’t designed for new communications technologies that require plug and play access and interfaces or for today’s growing data-rich environment. To keep pace, the existing E9-1-1 infrastructure is in a constant state of expensive and slow adaptation.

 

Despite these efforts, more data bandwidth, a new, modernized network and improved national and international intercommunication are needed to efficiently meet our nation’s evolving emergency communications needs.

To address many of these issues, Hixson says the time is now to transition to NG9-1-1, an IP-based, software and database controlled platform that will run on standard IP networks rather than on proprietary networks designed to only handle 9-1-1. While this transition to a standards-based approach will deliver significant cost, speed and functionality benefits, Hixson says there is much work to be done.

NENA is in the process of developing comprehensive transition plans, grouped by service type (e.g. wireline, wireless, VoIP, etc.) that offers guidelines to service providers, vendors and PSAPs on how to effect the transition to NG9-1-1.

Automatic location standards must also be defined for VoIP, WiFi (News - Alert), WiMAX and other new technologies if the NG9-1-1 service is to perform at the same level of traditional 9-1-1 infrastructures.

Hixson made it clear that fully standards-based NG9-1-1 deployments by vendors will not be seen until at least 2010 as standards will still be in the development stage through 2009. To ease the transition to NG9-1-1, NENA will develop comprehensive plans according to service type.

A standard IP-based interface is promised by 2011 that will simplify the NG9-1-1 implementation process for new communications service providers. Hixson believe this interface will be a significant improvement over the multi-year retrofit process that service providers have had to manage while connecting VoIP and wireless networks to the existing E91-1-1 infrastructure. 

Hixson said that before full-scale deployment of NG9-1-1 technologies can begin, comprehensive beta testing must be conducted to ensure that the full platform  performs at expected levels and standards.

With the advancements in technologies that have changed the way in which we work, live and communicate, there is a significant need to change the way in which first responders are notified and informed about an emergency. Without the proper infrastructure in place, lives could be lost. According to NENA, that proper infrastructure is NG9-1-1.