Today’s tech vocabulary includes words like e-files, e-shopping, and e-learning. Soon you will be hearing a new phrase, E-911.

E-911 is the high-tech label for a federal mandate known as Enhanced 911 that requires all US wireless phone companies to begin offering improved location capabilities on their networks. This mandate is a response to a large number of emergency calls being made on cell phones. When 911 emergency calls are made from a landline, an address appears on an operator’s screen. However, if the call comes from a mobile phone, the 911 dispatcher cannot locate the position of the caller. Therefore, the FCC is now requiring wireless companies to accurately locate mobile 911 callers. Carriers will be required to have 100 percent of all new handsets able to provide location information by the end of 2002.

The first segment of the FCC’s phased program had a deadline of October 1. Due to difficulty in obtaining the necessary technology and handsets, many wireless companies have not met that target and have requested an extension. Sprint is the only carrier to meet the October deadline. This week Sprint PCS began selling mobile telephones with a location capability. Sprint is offering a $149.00 Samsung Electronics’ mobile phone, the SPH-N300 that uses the global position system network of satellites to pinpoint a caller’s precise location. Although Sprint’s phones are on the market, they will not be functional until November and then only in the Rhode Island market. There will be significant lag time in getting coast-to-coast coverage for this service since the activation of the service has to be coordinated with public safety agencies.

In addition to location information for emergencies, cell phone customers hope to use this new technology to enjoy other services such as driving directions and entertainment information. Location-based services like finding nearby restaurants and checking traffic and weather updates keyed to a precise location are certain to be popular.

The true value of cell phones has recently come to the forefront as we acknowledge the important part wireless communication played in our country's response to the September 11^th terrorist attack. The compact size of cell phones has made them more convenient to carry in a pocket, and, now, with the ability to pinpoint a caller’s location, the cell phone can become a customized lifeline. Technology will be doing its part to enhance our feeling of security as the new e-911-enabled phones become standard during the next few years.