Combat Networks tests Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) emergency calls
Santa Clara, Calif. – October 28, 2019 – Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA) and Komutel, in close collaboration with Combat Networks, Bell Canada, and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), conducted the first Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) emergency test call in Ontario and one of the first in Canada using commercially available solutions.
During a test conducted with Bell Canada, the Komutel-Avaya NG911 call handling architecture successfully received an NG9-1-1 test call from the Bell 9-1-1 ESInet network. This key milestone is a first step towards more fully implementing Next Generation 9-1-1 services, which will be introduced in Canada starting June 30, 2020, and in preparation for the decommissioning of the national E9-1-1 services by June 30, 2023.1
Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) is a cross-industry initiative that strengthens and improves how 9-1-1 calls are handled. It reimagines the response possibilities of emergency services, allowing responding agencies the opportunity to have greater context, smoother workflows, and improved operating efficiency. This ultimately helps empower public safety agencies to respond to emergencies with greater speed and effectiveness for better outcomes that save lives and property. Over time, NG9-1-1 workflows will include voice, text, video, files, telematics information, and rich data about the call, caller, and location. With roughly 300 Public Safety Access Point (PSAPs) across Canada, Komutel and Avaya serve the largest number of them jointly.
“In situations where time is vital, seamless communication can make all the difference,” said Brian Silverstone, VP Canadian Federal Government Sales and Public Safety, Avaya. “Komutel and Avaya are proud to partner in bringing innovative solutions and support to Canada in supporting the transformation of their 9-1-1 communication centers. We’re excited about the potential that NG911 can deliver to help in improving emergency responsiveness, and to see how a commitment to NG911 standards and software-based architectures can be leveraged to support digital transformation.”
“Together, Komutel and Avaya serve the largest number of PSAPs in Canada and are fully committed to making our client’s transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) system as tailored as possible to their specific needs while minimizing risks and disruptions,” said Yves Laliberté, President, Komutel. “Support for the Next Generation 911 (NG911) standards as adapted for Canada is only the beginning and the IP architecture lends itself well to workflow automation to improve PSAP operating efficiencies.”
“9-1-1 services have been in place for many years without much advancement,” said Deputy Commissioner Rose DiMarco, Traffic Safety and Operational Support, OPP. “NG9-1-1 in Canada brings significant opportunities to increase our effectiveness for handling and responding to emergencies. We’re proud to conduct the first NG9-1-1 call in Ontario. This early stage of NG9-1-1 testing is paving the way for better interaction with 9-1-1 services for all citizens in the years to come.”
“We were excited to have Combat Networks’ Technical Integration Specialists be a part of the successful testing of NG9-1-1 in collaboration with the Ontario Provincial Police” said Rob Finucan, Chief Executive Officer at Combat Networks. “The dedicated team of professionals from Bell Canada, the OPP, and our vendor partners, Avaya and Komutel, have demonstrated that both the technology and expertise for future successful Next Generation 911 (NG911) deployments are one step closer to becoming the new standard for Emergency Services in Canada.”
Earlier this year, leveraging their longtime relationship as an Avaya DevConnect partner, Avaya and Komutel deepened their collaboration to provide NENA i3 Call Handling Functional Element solutions to address the needs of large and small public safety agencies as they evolve to NG9-1-1, and leverage communications to support digital transformation initiatives driving improved citizen engagement and operational efficiencies.
For more information see the release here.