Next-Generation 911 Requires Next-Generation Connectivity
As emergency communications centers transition toward NG9-1-1 and increasingly IP-based operations, resilient connectivity becomes part of the critical communications infrastructure.
For decades, 911 communications were largely built around voice. Today, that is changing.
Next Generation 911 (NG911) is moving emergency communications toward secure, digital, Internet Protocol-based environments capable of supporting more than the traditional voice call.
Text, images, video, location information and other forms of data can become part of the emergency communications environment, helping provide telecommunicators and responders with more information during an incident.
But there is another side to that transition that deserves just as much attention: the more emergency communications depend on IP-based systems, the more important resilient IP connectivity becomes.
NG9-1-1 Changes What a 911 Center Depends On
A modern Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) or Emergency Communications Center (ECC) is no longer simply a building containing phones and radio consoles.
It is becoming an increasingly connected environment where dispatchers, applications, databases, field personnel, vehicles, radio systems and outside agencies exchange information across IP networks.
The National 911 Program describes NG911 as an IP-based system designed to improve the reliability and capabilities of 911 while enabling information such as voice, photos, videos and text messages to move through the 911 environment.
That creates tremendous operational possibilities. It also means the network connecting those systems becomes part of the critical communications infrastructure.
For emergency communications leaders, that distinction becomes increasingly important as more operational systems move onto IP.
A Backup Connection Is Not Necessarily Network Diversity
Many emergency communications facilities already maintain some form of secondary connectivity. But resilience depends on more than having two circuits listed on a network diagram.
Two terrestrial connections may still share infrastructure somewhere upstream. Fiber routes can be affected by the same construction incident, carrier disruption, utility failure, equipment problem or regional event.
That is why path diversity matters.
Satellite communications can introduce a fundamentally different path. LEO satellite connectivity can reach a facility without relying on the same last-mile terrestrial infrastructure serving the building.
When satellite is incorporated alongside fiber, cable, cellular or private wireless networks, agencies can create multiple ways for critical IP traffic to reach its destination.
The objective isn't to replace terrestrial infrastructure. It is to avoid depending entirely on it.
NG9-1-1 Resilience Should Extend Beyond the Building
The conversation becomes even more important when an emergency communications center has to operate somewhere other than its primary facility.
A major incident, evacuation, infrastructure outage or regional emergency may force communications personnel to establish operations somewhere else.
In these situations, a backup circuit attached to the primary building is not enough. Agencies need connectivity that can move with the operation.
Portable and wireless technologies—including LEO satellite and cellular— can help establish an IP connection where wired infrastructure may be unavailable or nonexistent.
Learn more about quick-deployment connectivity solutions for temporary and rapidly established public safety operations.
From the 911 Center to the Connected Response Vehicle
NG9-1-1 should not be viewed entirely within the walls of the communications center. The emergency communications ecosystem extends into the field.
Police vehicles, fire apparatus, ambulances, mobile command units and other response assets increasingly depend on connectivity for applications such as CAD, AVL, mapping, video, records access, situational awareness and other operational tools.
IP connectivity can also help extend communications capabilities beyond the traditional coverage of existing systems.
That creates an opportunity to think about the communications center, alternate facilities, field teams and connected public safety vehicles as parts of a broader critical communications environment rather than isolated systems.
As the National 911 Program has noted in its resources for public safety leaders, NG911's transition to IP affects the broader emergency communications ecosystem, not simply the technology receiving a 911 call.
The Network Should Adapt Before the Operator Has To
Network resilience should not depend on a dispatcher, technician or incident commander realizing that a connection has failed and then manually determining what to do next.
Modern networking technology can evaluate multiple available connections and determine which paths are performing well enough to carry traffic.
Rather than thinking only in terms of a single primary network and an emergency-only backup, agencies can build connectivity architectures around the network paths that are actually available and performing.
For public safety operations, that distinction matters because during an incident, communications personnel already have enough to manage.
One Communications Environment. Multiple Ways to Stay Connected.
IP Access International works with public safety agencies to design and manage connectivity environments that bring multiple terrestrial and space-based network options together.
Our SuperGIG™ managed connectivity platform can integrate available network paths—including LEO satellite and LTE/5G connectivity—into one managed connectivity environment.
The specific architecture depends on the agency, location, applications, available infrastructure and operational requirements.
The goal is not to add technology simply for the sake of redundancy. It is to create meaningfully different ways for critical operations to remain connected.
NG9-1-1 Is an Opportunity to Think Beyond the 911 Network
The transition to NG9-1-1 is much larger than an upgrade to how a 911 call reaches a telecommunicator.
It represents a broader shift toward IP-based emergency communications.
As agencies modernize the systems inside their emergency communications centers, it is worth asking an equally important question about the infrastructure underneath them:
For some agencies, that may mean evaluating LEO satellite connectivity . For others, it may mean adding cellular diversity, establishing portable communications capabilities, connecting alternate facilities or bringing several networks together under one managed platform.
There isn't one network that will be perfect everywhere, all the time. That may be one of the most important considerations for the next generation of emergency communications.
Additional NG9-1-1 Resource: Learn more from the National 911 Program's Next Generation 911 resource center .
Build a More Resilient Connectivity Strategy
IP Access International has supported public safety and mission-critical communications for more than 27 years. We help agencies evaluate terrestrial, cellular and LEO satellite connectivity for emergency communications centers, field operations, vehicles and rapidly deployable environments.
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