| Find out the nitty gritty on prepaid cell phones and | | | | your callback number and your fixed location. But |
| 911 service. Find out what prepaid cell phone | | | | on a mobile phone, there are some technological |
| companies are required to do and why. | | | | challenges. Fortunately, the cell phone companies |
| Everybody is familiar with 9-1-1 service, which | | | | stepped up to the plate and came up with a |
| allows you to easily contact emergency services | | | | solution. In Phase I of the FCC mandate, carriers |
| from your home phone. But what about your cell? | | | | had to create a system that would tell |
| Emergencies can happen when you're away from | | | | dispatchers the cell phone number of the caller, as |
| home. And even while you're at home, more | | | | well as the location of the cell tower, which would |
| households are moving towards a single-line | | | | provide at least an approximate geographic |
| solution, replacing their landline phones with mobile. | | | | location. More sophisticated location detection |
| The FCC requires all cellular carriers to put through | | | | technology uses GPS-enabled cell phones to |
| all 9-1-1 calls, even when the phone does not have | | | | determine the location of the caller in an |
| an active service contract. Individuals who have | | | | emergency. |
| medical conditions may do well to carry an | | | | Phase II, scheduled to be fully implemented by |
| emergency cell phone, even if they do not use a | | | | the end of 2005, goes a step further by providing |
| cell phone on a regular basis. It is also an ideal | | | | Automatic Location Identification (ALI), with |
| solution for the elderly, who may be at risk while | | | | precise latitude and longitude of the caller, to the |
| out and about. Keeping an emergency cell phone | | | | emergency dispatcher. This capability has been |
| in the car's glove compartment, along with a | | | | incorporated into many newer cell phones, but |
| portable charger, can help avert a disaster in case | | | | there are still older cell phones still in use. If you |
| of a breakdown or accident in a remote area. | | | | plan to use your cell phone as an emergency |
| The so-called E911 (enhanced 911) service, | | | | backup, make sure you have a newer |
| mandated by the FCC, also requires carriers to | | | | "location-sensitive" phone that is equipped to |
| implement a system that tells emergency | | | | handle this service. |
| dispatchers the location of the caller. This has | | | | There is no charge for calling 9-1-1 from a cell |
| been a part of landline emergency services for | | | | phone; the E911 infrastructure is paid for with a |
| several years, and when you call 9-1-1 from your | | | | small surcharge on normal cell phone services. |
| home phone, the dispatcher automatically knows | | | | |