Safety First Is Nice in Theory, but Cost Is Real Bottom Line

The FCC rules require the new wireless-enhanced 911 system to be phased in two parts. The first phase, to be completed April 1, will require carriers to deploy a system that will enable public safety officials to call back the 911 caller and tell emergency crews the location of the cell site receiving the call, making it somewhat easier to locate the caller. The second, more costly phase, which must be in place by Oct. 1, 2001, will require wireless carriers to pinpoint the location of the caller to within 388 feet, about the length of a football field.

Department of General Services officials in California, which raises about $75 million from wire-line and wireless phone users to support the state's current 911 emergency system for land-line phones, say state lawmakers would have to pass new legislation in order for them to raise significantly more revenue to support a wireless 911 system.

"We believe we can implement phase one of the FCC rules with current revenue levels . . . assuming the economy remain stable," said Larry Kuhn, telecommunications systems manager for the California Department of General Services. "But to implement phase two, well, that gets correspondingly very expensive."

"Everybody is hoping that before the four years is up, somebody will invent something that will dramatically cut the cost down," said Steve Carlson, executive director of Cellular Carriers Assn. of California.

The location technology being developed by most of the companies works by using complex algorithms to calculate locations from split-second differences in signal transmission time between handsets and cellular towers.

There is talk of trying to minimize the cost to subscribers by marketing the new wireless location technology to private industry.

Mike Mallory, product manager with Vanguard Cellular Systems Inc., a Greensboro, N.C., cellular phone operator, says several vendors of the new technology have discussed using it to help trucking firms locate drivers or help the Postal Service locate mail carriers who are attacked on their delivery routes.

Indeed, Calgary's Cell-Loc Inc., an enhanced 911 equipment developer, thinks these add-on services rather than any FCC mandate will drive the cellular location market.

The company recently demonstrated its product to Canadian cellular carriers, who are not required to pinpoint the location of cellular users. Still, many of the carriers were interested in acquiring the technology.

"They were quite keen on it, even though there is no mandate," said Michel Fattouche, president of Cell-Loc. Fattouche said his company is now in discussions with some carriers to use Cell-Loc's location technology to offer trucking fleet management, vehicle location, child location and other location services.

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Jube Shiver Jr. covers telecommunications from The Times' Washington bureau. He can be reached at jube.shiver@latimes.com