TruePosition® Embraces New FCC Standards for E9-1-1 Location Accuracy

BERWYN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- TruePosition, Inc., a provider of wireless location technologies and solutions and a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, publicly embraces the recent order from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that mandates wireless carriers to meet more stringent location accuracy requirements for Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) , which will take effect eight-years after a date yet to be announced. This ruling comes less than a year after the FCC introduced new requirements for wireless carriers to meet accuracy thresholds at the county or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) level, an order that also acknowledged the need for further testing of indoor location accuracy and an overall tightening of location accuracy standards over the next eight years.

Wireless carriers deliver E9-1-1 location information using one of two methods – handset-based, where the location information is generated by a GPS chip installed in the actual handset; or network-based, where equipment installed in the carrier’s network calculates the location information of the phone. Current FCC rules require carriers using handset-based technologies to locate 67 percent of calls within 50 meters and 95 percent of calls within 150 meters; and carriers using network-based technologies to locate 67 percent of calls within 100 meters and 95 percent of calls within 300 meters.

In today’s ruling, the FCC announced that it will sunset the network-based accuracy rule and require all existing wireless carriers to comply with a single accuracy standard of 50 meters and 150 meters, regardless of the location method used. New wireless carriers will be required to meet the new standard from now forward. The FCC will not dictate the technology that any carrier selects to meet this new standard.

“TruePosition embraces the tightened location accuracy standards set by the FCC. Every 9-1-1 caller in the United States should be able to expect to be located regardless of their environment, the type of phone they are using, or which wireless carrier they have selected,” said Stephen Stuut, Chief Executive Officer for TruePosition. “We remain confident that TruePosition provides the only network-based technology that will meet these new performance requirements.”

The FCC reiterated its commitment to indoor accuracy and accountability, which is where a large number of wireless 9-1-1 calls originate. TruePosition commends the FCC for continuing its commitment to indoor accuracy. The need for a location technology that will deliver high performance in challenging environments – such as indoors or in cities with tall buildings – will not dissipate, and this need cannot be satisfied by GPS alone, if at all. As a result, the new FCC ruling is expected to pave the way for more hybrid location solutions, combining both network-based and handset-based technologies for locating wireless 9-1-1 calls.

TruePosition U-TDOA quickly and accurately locates any phone in any environment using Location Measurement Units (LMUs) installed at the cell towers to calculate a phone’s position. There are currently more than 75,000 TruePosition LMUs deployed across the U.S., and TruePosition U-TDOA locates more than 60 million wireless 9-1-1 calls every year.

About TruePosition

TruePosition (www.trueposition.com) is the global leader in location determination and intelligence solutions that help protect citizens, combat crime, and save lives. TruePosition U-TDOA is a location technology that can accurately and reliably locate any mobile phone in any environment, where other location technologies such as A-GPS cannot. This makes TruePosition U-TDOA uniquely suited to meet the mission-critical location-based safety and security requirements of enterprises and government agencies. These solutions include future-proof technologies, innovative applications, and comprehensive networking and systems services. TruePosition has more patents, technical expertise, and operational experience in wireless location than any other company in the world. Every day more than 100 million people depend on location services supported by TruePosition technology. TruePosition is owned by Liberty Media Corporation.

CONTACT:

TruePosition
Brian Varano, Director of Marketing
+1 610 680 2251
brian.varano@trueposition.com

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