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Despite Canada’s decision earlier this year to delay the deadlines for the transition to NG9-1-1 for Canadian public safety answering points (PSAPs), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) still wants PSAPs to start the migration process early. Vice President of Business Development Nancy MacDonald explains why PSAPs are best served starting sooner rather than later.

In July, the CRTC announced that the deadlines for Canada’s PSAPs to move to NG9-1-1 voice and text systems were getting pushed out. The deadline for telecom service providers to send all 9-1-1 calls to one of the three Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets) and the Next-Generation Core Services (NGCS) networks was moved to March 1, 2022. Following that, those PSAPs who have NG9-1-1-capable systems will be able to participate in the onboarding. If they aren’t there just yet, they can at that point schedule their onboarding with the carrier and their call-handling vendor. The soft launch of real-time text (RTT) services is to start May 29, 2024, and the deadline for PSAPs to be migrated to full NG9-1-1 is March 4, 2025.

With the deadlines pushed out, PSAPs have three years to transition to NG9-1-1. But they should start laying the groundwork immediately.

The recent deployment of next-generation call handling enables call takers to locate wireless callers faster and deal with emergencies when voice calls are not an option. Nancy MacDonald looks at how the new capabilities will improve emergency response efforts.

The transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) in Manitoba is one step closer to reality with the successful completion of an IP-based 9-1-1 test call. Nancy MacDonald explains what this means for emergency call management in the province.

An important milestone on the road to Next Generation 9-1-1 for the province of Manitoba was reached last week. On November 27, Manitoba Provincial 911, the public safety answering point (PSAP) in Brandon, conducted the first emergency test call in Manitoba on a Bell Canada NG9-1-1 Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet). As part of the test, the Solacom Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling solution processed the call successfully, displayed caller location on a call taker’s display screen, and transferred the call to a third party using the public telephone network.

Nancy MacDonald looks at Australia’s nationwide upgrade to Solacom Guardian emergency call handling and what it means for Australians in distress.

A couple of weeks ago, Australian telecom provider, Telstra, opened a new contact center for emergency call handling and management in Adelaide. It was an important moment for Australians and for all of us at Solacom. Starting in 2020, Telstra will roll out next-generation emergency calling services for the entire population of Australia. And our Solacom Guardian call handling solutions are at the heart of the nationwide upgrade.

Nancy MacDonald explains how PSAPs using Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling and Guardian Map can receive accurate device-based location information for 9-1-1 calls made with smartphones. 

It’s difficult not to pay attention when stories make the news about the challenge public safety answering points (PSAPs) face when trying to find someone calling 9-1-1 from a mobile phone. Headlines like “Why Uber Can Find You but 9-1-1 Can’t” are alarming because pinpointing accurate location data — and quickly — is a crucial first step in any emergency response situation.

Nancy MacDonald explains why it’s so important to get text-to-911 implementations right the first time.

Today, the decision for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) is not whether they will implement text-to-911, but how they will implement it. 

While the FCC rules allow PSAPs to choose from three implementation options, only a full-featured text-to-911 solution that integrates easily into a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) call handling and management solution puts PSAPs in the best position for today and tomorrow.