Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile agree to collectively push text-to-911 capabilities by 2014

We've been hearing about new capabilities for emergency 911 services for years, but it looks like the industry is ready to move as one to make text-to-911 a reality across the US. The Big 4 wireless carriers, as well as The 911 Association and the Association for Public-Safety Communications Officials International has submitted an agreement to the FCC that outlines plans to work together on standards, procedures and technology deployments that will provide a "seamless introduction" of the tech across the US.

They're not guaranteeing it will be available everywhere in two years, but the specific signposts noted are support for bounce-back notifications by June 30th, 2013 that tell texters when the service isn't available in their area and a "commitment" to nationwide rollouts by May 15th 2014. So far, efforts to make your thumbs more useful in an emergency have been disjointed, but a concerted effort by industry giants should let you avoid busy signals and dropped calls at the worst possible time sooner rather than later. Check out a press release from the group, as well as a word from the FCC, which will consider the proposal on December 12th, after the break or the agreement itself in PDF form at the source link.

Continue reading Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile agree to collectively push text-to-911 capabilities by 2014

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

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Source: Voluntary Text Commitment (PDF), FCC