The best part: AT&T customers across the country automatically have access to this service – no action is necessary.ĪT&T’s commitment to public safety is longstanding. This kind of accuracy means public safety can respond faster, especially in situations when a 911 wireless caller doesn’t know or can’t disclose their location.ĪT&T is the first wireless carrier to launch location-based routing for all 911 call centers nationwide, whether they’re operating on older technology or NextGen 911. Instead of pinging the closest cell tower, the GPS in your phone connects with the closest 911 dispatch center, meaning emergency operators can locate you within about 55 yards of your position. You could even be in a different county, making it difficult for dispatchers to pinpoint exactly where the call is calling from. Imagine needing help in Deer Park but the dispatcher thinking you may be in Baytown. But here’s the thing: that cell tower could be up to 10 miles away. Before location-based routing, a call would ping a cell phone tower and connect to the dispatch center closest to that tower.

Roughly 80 percent of 911 calls today are made from cell phones. This summer, AT&T, in collaboration with Intrado, rolled out a first-of-its-kind 911 upgrade across the country that will make it easier for emergency personnel to find and send help to wireless callers. That’s where a new location-based routing feature we call “Locate Before Route” comes in.

In a disaster, your surroundings may be confusing. If you’re in a car accident, you may not know where you are. In real life though, have you ever considered the possibility that this question - one that can mean the difference between life and death - may be hard for the caller to answer? In an emergency, you may not be able to speak. It’s a phrase we’ve heard hundreds of times on TV shows and movies.

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