ETSI tests emergency call taking across continents

ETSI has announced the completion of an “international emergency communications interoperability testing event,” focusing on next generation call-taking technology.

According to the organisation, the event - which took place remotely – was a collaborative effort involving ETSI, the European Emergency Number Association, and NENA in the United States. Two hundred and eighty-five test pairings were run, showing an interoperability rate of 87 per cent.

Testing was carried out in conjunction with NENA's ICE 9 event, which was the first test of emergency call routing across international borders “using voice, video, and text to simulate international roaming scenarios.” Elements tested included location/location-based call routing, audio, video, real-time text, policy-based routing, and core.

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

Speaking of the initiative, EENA technical director, Cristina Lumbreras, said: “ETSI and EENA are delighted to have collaborated on this milestone intercontinental testing event. Crossing borders and oceans, the event helped to ensure efficient, interoperable emergency communications for all citizens.

"We believe that the testing will make a significant contribution to public safety in Europe and the USA, driving forward the implementation of lifesaving Next Generation communications in our continents.”

Stakeholders involved in the testing included NGCS vendors, user agents, mobile operators, and call handling vendors. The event took place from 22 February to 5 March.


Media contact

Philip Mason
Managing Editor, Critical Communications Portfolio
Tel: +44 (0)20 3874 9216
phillip.mason@markallengroup.com