TORONTO – Having a cell phone in an emergency is great, but what if you can’t tell the 911 operator where you are?
To try and remedy that, Bell Canada announced today that is has begun testing a new technology will allow emergency service providers to pinpoint the location of mobile callers more precisely – to as close as 50 meters.
Current 911 service for wireless phones identifies the number and the general area from where the call is being made.
"These advances are designed to give 911 users an even higher level of security during emergency situations in which lives are often at stake," said Adel Bazerghi, vice-president of wireless technology development, Bell Mobility. "Bell is working with emergency service providers to deliver the latest innovations and the best technology to protect Canadians, no matter where they are."
The trial will be conducted in partnership with the Toronto-area emergency service providers and last six months. It will allow Bell Mobility to demonstrate the capabilities of its location technology for emergency purposes and help understand how best to integrate it into existing Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) operations.
"Time is always crucial during any emergency and enhanced location information can only improve service," said Judy Broomfield, the Toronto Police Service’s 9-1-1 Coordinator, in the press release.
The new technology uses Assisted Global Positioning System (AGPS) to provide Emergency Services providers with information that locates mobile callers within a target of 150 meters, 95% of the time and 50 meters two-thirds of the time. The recently launched Seek & Find, Bell’s location-based service for families – and Canada’s first – leverages similar technology.
According to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), mobile phone users made about half of the six million calls received by 911 operators last year. More than half of all Bell Mobility customers currently have AGPS-enabled handsets, and almost all phones currently sold have GPS capabilities.
