If you're one of the millions of cell phone users who count on
their wireless phone for emergency 911 calling,
You might want to think again........
Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that your wireless 911 call will be routed to an emergency call center. Much less, that the emergency dispatcher will have the ability to pinpoint your call's location.
Why?
Part of the problem is lack of service. Often, in more rural
areas, your cell phone has fewer towers available to receive
reception. And, many of those towers are designed for analog calls - not digital.
But, since the FCC does not require it, fewer carriers offer
analog service -- or the ability to connect to it.
Not surprising, since much of the carriers' revenue is dependant on features available only on digital networks.
Another problem?
There is no uniform Ehanced 911 system (E911) for wireless carriers. The fault lies mainly with the FCC, who has once again neglected to force all carriers to conform their systems to a single technology.
Because of this, there are now two very incompatable E911 systems in the works.
Nextel, Sprint and Verizon each have cell phones that use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to find a caller's location. While Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile rely on a triangulation system.
Unfortunately, both E911 systems have their flaws. The GPS system needs a minimum of three satalites to be able to "read" the handset's location. Accuracy can be hampered by heavy vegetation, mountains or tall buildings.
The triangulation system also has its shortcomings. The system relies on the strength and timing of cell towers to determine a location. It too, requires multiple towers for accuracy. This becomes more difficult in rural areas where towers are scarce.
To compound the problem, Emergency Call Centers are not equipt with the technology needed to field E911 calls. Most smaller centers lack the funding for the sophisticated equiptment, while others lack the knowledge on how to integrate E911 into their existing system.
According to a 2004 article in the San Diego Union Tribune, only about 12% of the country's 911 centers had the ability to pinpoint the location of wireless phone users emergency calls.
Which cell phone is best?
Dual band, or tri-band phones, allow both analog and digital frequencies. If a 911 call does not connect in a digital mode, the alternate analog network is available.
The FCC mandates that any carrier offering multi-frequency phones, must allow the 911 call to roam to another service if the call can not be completed on their own network.
Currently, only Cingular/AT&T and Verizon offer dual or tri-bands for both their service and handsets. Sprint PCS and T-Mobile wireless phones rely on a digital band, but provide an option to roam for an analog signal.
Nextel uses the iDEN network for their cell phones. Because Nextel is the only major carrier using this technology, 911 calls may be difficult to "hand off" to other carriers when roaming and may be dropped.
Sandra Landwehr is the knowledgable webmaster of The Cell Phone Advisor.com, a site offering information and advice on choosing a free cell phone and plan.
Franchise Business and Franchise Businesses Franchise business is being part of a successfully proven business that has a name or trademark that is well known and profitable.
Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 1 of 2) Does your business need the services of a computer consulting firm? Before you rush out and hire the first techie or slick-salesperson that knocks on your door,...
The One Who Heals This article is dedicated to all the youth in this world who are fighting for their worth. Its focus is to challenge and motivate readers to seek out the broke...
Law to the Nth Degree Most of us know that the universe - God's universe - operates on an independent structure called Universal Law. The laws of the universe - God's laws - are an i...
Closing the Gap on Your Career Goals If you still picture a steady progression up the ladder when you think of your career goals, it is time to shift your thinking. But how do you determine career ...
Screenwriting: Writing Good Stories ...it is not uncommon for there to be multiple mentors, one to help through the First Threshold and the Physical Separation and another to help during the Trans...
The Perfect Meeting (Part1) - Staging For A New Client In my years in business, the one thing I pride myself on is how to win a potential clients over with one meeting only. This series will show you how to win over...
Solo Backpacking Tips Are ready to head into the wilderness alone? Here are some tips to make your solo backpacking trip a safe one.
Acne Medicine Is acne making your social life hell? Is everybody giving you their valuable advice on how to get rid of acne? Have you tried and tested everything in the marke...
Six Key Areas For Evaluating A Strategic Alliance Strategic alliances can be difficult to get going because
of all the work involved. Business coach, Catherine Franz,
shares with you a serious list of question...
Print this page