ETSI reveals emergency comms plugfest results

The remote event was a cooperation between ETSI, EENA (European emergency number association) and NENA (9-1-1 association) – this was the first time the European event partnered with NENA’s US ICE 9 event.

“Crossing borders and oceans, the event helped to ensure efficient, interoperable emergency communications for all citizens,” said EENA technical director, and ETSI EMTEL committee chair, Cristina Lumbreras. “We believe that the testing will make a significant contribution to public safety in Europe and the USA. NG112 is already transforming emergency response, improving accessibility to emergency services and allowing interconnections between public safety answering points. However, for next-generation communications to function effectively, standardisation and interoperability are crucial.”

The event tested technologies for content-rich, Internet protocol-based emergency calling.

Participants bought emergency communication chain component such as location and location-based call routing, audio, video, real-time text, policy-based routing and core services based on ETSI TS 103 479, developed by the ETSI EMTEL special committee.

Stakeholders included vendors, developers, user agents, mobile operators, call handling vendors, government bodies, policy makers and local authorities.

ICE 9 participants validated compliance with current NG9-1-1 and NG112 standards, namely ETSI TS 103 479.

“These first-ever international NG9-1-1 and NG112 tests allow us to evaluate our standards internationally,” said NENA president Gary Bell. “This enables public safety to not only interoperate internationally, but also to expand the field of technical solutions available to organisations in the United States and Europe.”