TeleCommunication Systems (News - Alert) (TCS), a major provider of text messaging infrastructure, announced a revolutionary SMS 9-1-1 service for the hearing-impaired community and people in noise-sensitive emergencies.

As text messaging becomes a mainstream method of communication, there’s a need to provide 9-1-1 services through the same medium. TCS SMS 9-1-1 provides a day-to-day reliable and cost-effective solution that meets Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) requirements, while also offering a mainstream communication channel to contact emergency services rapidly via text messaging.

The company’s SMS 9-1-1 solution is giving a voice to both the hearing-impaired community and people in noise-sensitive emergencies. The product comes with innovative features like TCS Geospatial Emergency Messaging (GEM9-1-1) PSAP Client, TCS Text Positioning Center (TPC), Last-Mile Options for PSAPs; Forward Compatibility with NG 9-1-1; and Robust Full-Session Management.

TCS Direct IP last-mile solutions address the challenge associated with using TTY for final text session delivery. Another advantage of this solution is that it uses currently deployed location technologies to automatically locate the emergency texter.

“As the pioneer in E9-1-1 and the North American leader in text messaging, TCS is leveraging its expertise to introduce a new 9-1-1 solution to anticipate upcoming FCC mandates and enable a new emergency communication pathway to keep up with mainstream user requirements,” said Chris Nabinger (News - Alert), senior vice president, Safety and Security Group at TCS.

TCS GEM9-1-1 PSAP Client is a browser-based Web client with a graphical user interface (GUI) used by PSAPs to manage multiple text messaging to 911 sessions. It provides one-to-one direct conversation between the emergency texter and the PSAP call taker. They can efficiently manage incoming requests or to transfer ongoing sessions to other call takers as the need arises

The TPC platform provides automatic text location determination, text session management and text routing at its core. Additionally the solution gives the PSAP flexibility in choosing a variety of last-mile options for text delivery, while relieving the need for additional services within the wireless carrier's network and at the PSAP IT office.

Through PSAP integration, a last-mile option offers secure Web client and IP-based Application Programming Interfaces (API) or a TTY option for PSAPs that choose this path. In addition to these, the text messaging solution is fully forward-compatible with PSAPs who have deployed NENA i3 NG 9-1-1 systems, allowing carriers to deliver text messages to PSAPs today and as they transition to NG 9-1-1 in the future.

Another advantage of the text messaging solution is that it uses existing wireless network infrastructure, so it minimizes the need for additional resources and streamlines deployment. Regardless of transfers between PSAPs, TCS SMS 9-1-1 solution completely manages SMS communication sessions, with feature-rich transcription that logs call taker attributes and time stamp metrics.

Since the TCS TPC platform provides legacy TTY delivery or IP browser-based delivery, PSAPs are not required to expend financial resources on call taker station upgrades. The product enables immediate SMS 9-1-1 for wireless carriers and PSAPs alike.

Recently TCS announced it has received 35 patents related to the mobile location and mapping fields, along with public safety, messaging and wireless data. This new group contained 13 mapping and mobile location patents, which covers navigation, route determination and points of interest, along with techniques for tracking users.


Edited by Braden Becker