AT&T claims to be the first provider in the country to implement location-based routing for 911 calls, a feature that allows the company to route wireless emergency calls to the appropriate call center based on a device’s GPS position.
According to a press release, the functionality will allow AT&T to properly locate and route 911 calls within 50 meters of where the call was placed.
Previously, AT&T routed calls based on the location of the cell tower that picked up the call signal, a radius of up to ten miles.
This means that your call could be answered by a call center located hundreds of miles away or even in another location. Increasing the time it takes for emergency personnel to arrive at your particular location.
In theory, location-based routing should help to overcome this problem by linking callers with the most relevant call centers for the quickest response times.
According to Fierce Wireless, AT&T has stated that it will not utilize the capability to track the locations of mobile devices and that it is only activated when you dial 911.
Only the dispatchers at the call center will receive your location information, according to an AT&T spokesperson.
In 2019, Motherboard uncovered that mobile carriers were reselling users’ location data, which ended up on the black market, where bail bondsmen and bounty hunters could buy it.
To begin, location-based routing will not be offered nationwide. The feature is currently available in the following states: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Guam.
AT&T said it would add support for “other regions” over the following few weeks, with nationwide coverage expected “by the end of June.”
T-Mobile announced the debut of location-based routing in 2020, but it has yet to be made accessible nationwide.
To read our blog on “T-Mobile is expanding with more users at home using cellular internet,” click here
