FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sonya Carius, (800) 332-3911
Enhanced 9-1-1 for Cell Phones Still a Critical Issue: NENA Conference June 11-15 to focus on 9-1-1 issues, bring 9-1-1 experts together
COLUMBUS, Ohio (May 26, 2000)
Wireless emergency callers and 9-1-1answering centers are still plagued by the inability to locate wireless9-1-1 callers. With FCC deadlines approaching, most 9-1-1 centers, wireless carriers, and state and local entities are in the early planning stages of Phase I and II Wireless Location. Planning for this technology alone bringsnumerous barriers including funding, technology, and the cooperation of all parties. As a result of these challenges, Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) forwireless (cellular) telephones will be one of the most discussed topics at this year’s Annual Conference of the National Emergency Number Association(NENA).
NENA, to help expedite Wireless E9-1-1 implementation, will offer more than 15 educational sessions on Wireless E9-1-1 issues. These sessions will beinstructed by the experts in Wireless E9-1-1 and will help provide 9-1-1 professionals with the tools they need to make Wireless Phase I and II workin their areas. These sessions will complement NENA’s recent release, “The Wireless 9-1-1 Checklist,” which assists 9-1-1 center managers with adetailed step-by-step planning strategy for implementing Wireless Phase I.In addition, NENA’s World Congress-the first ever meeting of Internationalemergency number professionals-will offer attendees from abroad a series of workshops on international issues and the challenges of implementing newemergency communications systems in varying geo-political environments. Corporaterepresentation from the commercial side of the 9-1-1 industry will also be at the NENA Annual Conference. More than 120 vendors ofemergency communications/9-1-1 equipment and products will be available to discuss new and existing life-saving technologies. Many vendors debut newlife-saving products at the NENA Trade Show.
The NENA Annual Conference and Trade Show, including the World Congress, is
the only national conference solely dedicated to 9-1-1. The conference, which includes more than 80 educational sessions and panels forprofessionals in the 9-1-1 industry, is June 11-15, 2000, in the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. More than 2,000professionals from the public and private sectors of the 9-1-1 industry will attend this year’s conference.