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ATIS' NIIF Seeks to Ensure High Probability of Completion for Wireless Emergency Calls

Washington D.C., August 27, 2002 - The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and its Network Interconnection Interoperability Forum (NIIF) said on August 27 that they are requesting the wireless industry ensure that emergency calls - Government Emergency Telecommunications Services (GETS) and E911 - placed over wireless networks will have the same high probability of completion as emergency calls placed over the wireline network.

The NIIF recently issued a request to the wireless community seeking their help in verifying conformance to ANSI signaling protocols that ensure preference for emergency calls placed by responders to a disaster.

Frank Suraci, GETS Technical Director of the National Communications System (NCS) said, "The success of a similar effort by the NIIF for the wireline network was demonstrated on September 11, 2001, when over 95 percent of the emergency calls placed on the wireline network were completed. This was due in large part to the priority afforded to emergency calls while the network was in massive congestion." The NIIF is looking to expand the success in the wireline industry to now include the wireless industry as well.

The NIIF is coordinating the national rollout of setting the priority level of emergency and non-emergency calls in accordance with ANSI Standard T1. 111, "Signaling System 7, Message Transfer Part." This effort will ensure that emergency services, such as the GETS, work as designed. Currently over 90 percent of the wireline networks are in compliance. NIIF's current focus is on call priority conformance in the wireless industry.

ATIS' NIIF provides an open forum to encourage the discussion and resolution, on a voluntary basis, of industry-wide issues associated with telecommunications network interconnection and interoperability, which involve network architecture, management, testing and operations and facilitates the exchange of information.

Wireless carriers interested in more information should contact NIIF Director, Maria Estefania at mestefania@atis.org.

The ATIS is a member company organization that is the leader for standards and operating procedures for the telecommunications industry. More than 1,500 experts from over 400 telecommunications companies participate in ATIS' 19 committees, forums, and Incubator Solutions programs, where work focus includes wireline and wireless network interconnection standards, number portability, improved data transmission, Internet telephony, toll-free access, telecom fraud, and order and billing issues, among others. ATIS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

(Story courtesy of ATIS)

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