911 was first introduced in 1968 and provided direct access to local public safety through a single universal number. Information on the caller wasn't delivered until years later when Caller ID was added. In the 80s, 911 became E911, with the ability to use Caller ID to reference the address added. These ANI/ALI databases were funded through Federal Usage fees, collected by the carriers. Next Generation 911 circumvents these archaic database infrastructures and allows location from the originating network with the 911 call. The elimination of the usage of the ANI/ALI database significantly reduces annual costs incurred by commercial MLTS users, while still allowing device-level reporting without incurring excessive annual fees.

Police.com recently asked me "What does your Tech do?" My answer was published in an article in their recent publication. Here is an audio version of that article highlighting the 911inform, LLC Emergency Event Management Platform providing complete coverage for IoT sensors, panic buttons, and 911 call events from both MLTS Devices and cellular devices located within an established geo-fence. Have a listen on how this new innovative technology is helping change the game with Over the Top NG911 compliant detailed information from http://911inform.com.

Too Little - Too Late??

The House subcommittee has proposed desperately needed Next Generation 911 funding of up to $10 billion from the upcoming spectrum auction proceeds. But the FCC still lacks the authority to hold that auction. . . 

Urgent Communications Donny Jackson provides his view on the subject

DISH is currently building its own network to replace Sprint, which is being purchased by T-Mobile. And taking a unique approach by using new Open Radio Access Network gear, which promises to be much less expensive to operate while being much more flexible - and more importantly, avoiding any “vendor lock-in” of the past. Also promises of Web 3.0 and a new mobile experience are in the air.

Story #2 by this week's highlighted author, Ryan Daws @Gadget_RY, tells us about Southwest Airlines and their recent announcement about their plans to provide connectivity from satellite firm Viasat for their in-flight WiFi services for passengers later this year, promising t20Mbs broadband plans being delivered starting this fall. In addition to internet service they expect real-time TV, Video, and social media.

This week we are featuring a story by @Gadget_Ry reporting on mobile network performance specialist RootMetrics that is claiming the UK will be all set to say farewell to their copper landlines and upgrade to a fully IP-based network by 2025.

ALSO, we have the answer to a telecom trivia question about UK's emergency number 999, guaranteed to win a bar bet. All of that is right here on this episode of Telecom NewsBytes and sponsored by @911inform.

While some might feel a bit of anguish and angst about trusting critical life safety services to the cloud, it is likely that the diversity that can be built into a cloud architecture, as well as the resiliency and reliability, is more stable and secure there than anywhere else. With primary, secondary, and tertiary connections, critical data can exist in multiplicity at various spots within the Netwerk that for the most part guarantee availability of critical services. Modern systems are here to stay, and properly managed can provide a level of protection that has been unheard of in the past.

Ransomware incidents are on the rise and businesses are worried, with the discovery of a Linux-based ransomware family called Cheerscrypt targeting VMware servers. Verizon report says email phishing and desktop-sharing software were the most common ransomware attack points.