re: EOTD alternatives for E911
* AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless are experiencing a lack of progress with their EOTD location technology deployments, and George Marble of Grayson Wireless says they are considering other options such as Grayson's Geometrix solution.
* "The EOTD solution has not worked very well and Cingular has said that they are trying it one more time and if it doesn't work in their third-quarter test, they will dump it," - Ken Hyers analyst at In-Stat MDR -
>> E911 Options Available In Smaller Sizes
Vendors Retrofit Their E911 Solutions To Fit The Needs Of Rural Carriers
Sue Marek
August 5, 2002
Wireless Week
Like their larger counterparts, rural and small operators are faced with enormous challenges in meeting the FCC's enhanced 911 Phase II requirement. But unlike the nationwide players, these wireless carriers haven't always had a bevy of choices when it comes to purchasing E911 equipment that fits their coverage areas and their capital expenditures budget.
That situation is changing as E911 equipment makers begin catering to the rural carrier with special pricing plans and equipment solutions that will help operators meet the mandated guidelines. Grayson Wireless last month teamed with the Rural Cellular Association to help small and rural carriers meet the FCC's requirements. Under the plan, RCA members will be able to purchase Grayson Wireless' Geometrix 911 system at a special rate. "We've tailored our program for smaller carriers. We offer a special pricing package to help them overcome the monetary barrier," says George Marble, vice president of marketing for Grayson Wireless. "We're doing our part in lowering that entry barrier."
Besides Grayson, vendor TruePosition says it also is working with the RCA to devise a similar arrangement for carriers interested in the company's network-based time difference of arrival technology solution. "We've tried to address their needs and make adjustments to where they want to deploy initially," says Michael Amarosa, vice president of public affairs for TruePosition.
For Terry Addington, CEO of First Cellular of Southern Illinois and past president of the RCA, these types of arrangements are a step in the right direction. First Cellular has a 24-county service area with 18 public safety answering points, but according to Addington, only a few of those PSAPs plan to go to Phase II, making it impractical for the carrier to deploy an E911 solution throughout its entire network. "Vendors won't deploy a solution that is small but is cost-effective to me," Addington says. "I can't afford the whole network and I don't have the PSAP requests for the whole network."
Addington says that for a carrier the size of First Cellular to deploy E911 Phase II throughout the entire network would cost about $2 million. "My typical capital budget is between $4 million and $6 million per year, so this would be a huge part of my budget," he says.
But Addington praises Grayson Wireless for its attention to the rural carrier. He says the company early on made a conscious decision to target small carriers with its technology.
Mankato, Minn.-based Hickory Tech Wireless is deploying Grayson's solution as well. According to Marble, Grayson always has regarded the small operator as a strong potential customer for its solution. "Our system is designed to be scalable for small applications and large applications," Marble says. "And because it's scalable, it isn't necessary to roll it out throughout the entire area for it to work. We can focus on a geographic area where they need the coverage in response to a PSAP request."
Marble says in some rural markets where Grayson's system has been running for nearly a year, the equipment has performed better than the FCC's mandated requirements. Those results, plus PSAP pressure, have made rural carriers more aggressive in their deployments. Both Marble and Amarosa say they have seen much more activity and interest from rural carriers in the past few months. "We are in discussions with several rural carriers right now," Amarosa says.
In addition, now that large carriers such as AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless are experiencing a lack of progress with their EOTD location technology deployments, Marble says they are considering other options such as Grayson's Geometrix solution. In January the company received independent testing approval from NENA for its system to be used over a GSM network. "We have a solution if they are looking for something other than EOTD," Marble says.
According to Ken Hyers, analyst at In-Stat MDR, a sister company to Wireless Week, the possibility that those carriers may look at other options is likely. "The EOTD solution has not worked very well and Cingular has said that they are trying it one more time and if it doesn't work in their third-quarter test, they will dump it," Hyers says. <<
>> FCC Gives Small Carriers More Time
Allyson Vaughan
August 5, 2002
Wireless Week
The FCC is giving mid-size carriers until March 1, 2003, and small carriers until Sept. 1, 2003, to deploy some Phase II E911 services because of "technical and equipment availability problems."
A number of small and mid-size carriers had sought relief because of equipment delays as vendors focused on filling orders for larger nationwide carriers. By permitting carriers to begin Phase II rollout at different times, it may help alleviate deployment problems, the FCC said in its decision late last month.
The final deadline for full Phase II implementation of Dec. 31, 2005, will remain in place for all carriers. Last fall, the FCC gave the six nationwide carriers additional time to deploy Phase II services.
Mid-size carriers employing a network-based solution must provide Phase II service to at least 50 percent of the public safety answering point's coverage area or population beginning March 1, 2003. For carriers using a handset-based solution, they must begin selling and activating location-capable handsets no later than March 1, 2003.
Small carriers using a network-based solution must provide Phase II service to at least 50 percent of the PSAP's coverage area or population by Sept. 1, 2003. For small carriers using a handset-based location technology, they must begin selling and activating location-capable handsets no later than Sept. 1, 2003. <<
- Eric - |
