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Telecommunications
Newsletter - 4th Quarter 1999
 
In this Issue...
 
Wireless Companies Prepare For E-911 Deployment
 
 December 1, 1999
 
Roderic "Rod" Woodson- Washington

Responding to a major regulatory compliance problem for wireless telecommunications carriers, the Cellular Telephone Industry Association (CTIA) has recently issued a Request for Qualified Proposals to put on a demonstration project for implementing enhanced wireless emergency 911 services. Known as "E-911" or "Enhanced 911," these services are used in emergency calls and identify the caller's telephone number as well as their location. This project, as well as its aftermath, may offer opportunities for information systems entities and others to significantly increase their product portfolios and markets. Each RFQP must be submitted to CTIA on or before December 10, 1999.

While such E-911 information (referred to as "Automatic Location Identification" or "ALI") is currently available with landline telecommunications service, the technology to implement such service for wireless telecom has not yet been fully developed and deployed due to a number of complexities. However, the FCC has mandated that by October 1, 2001, all wireless carriers must be able to identify the location of one of their callers within 125 meters at least 67% of the time. Because wireless subscribers are mobile during usage and wireless telecommunications service uses combinations of analogue/digital and PCS digital systems to transmit their signals, wireless carriers are being faced with the possibility of creating separate E-911 systems.

The RFQP is seeking a way to help carriers find economies of scale through some form of system sharing. CTIA is proposing a demonstration project "to determine if facility-sharing is possible and cost efficient, to conduct equipment trials, and to obtain benchmark data for follow-on procurement." According to CTIA, the Washington, D.C., area was selected "because CTIA member companies operating in the region offer a wide variety of wireless technologies (AMPS, CDMA, TDMA and GSM), and will be challenged to offer E-911 in urban, suburban and rural settings." The wireless carriers involved in the project include AT&T Wireless, Bell Atlantic Mobile, Cellular One (Southwestern Bell), Sprint PCS and VoiceStream. Since the nature of the project will call for access to detailed information on each wireless carrier, it will be necessary to enter into a Non-Disclosure/Confidentiality Agreement in order to submit a proposal.

For more detailed information and to download a full copy of the RFQP, visit the CTIA Web site at www.wow-com.com and click on "CTIA E911 Phase II RFQP."