BT, HTC and EE develop tech that can pinpoint 999 calls to within metres
Every second counts for the emergency services. So to speed up response times, a new system developed by BT, HTC and EE can now pinpoint the location of a distress call to within just 30 metres or less (down from several kilometres). As soon as you dial 999, a text message with your position is sent to the operator in one of BT's call centres, verified and forwarded to the relevant emergency service. It should help police officers, paramedics and fire fighters arrive at the scene quicker, and assist the 330,000 emergency callers each year who are unable to speak on the phone. Right now, the feature is (unsurprisingly) only supported on EE's network and a selection of HTC phones, but it's hoped the technology will be picked up by other UK networks and handset makers in the future.
[Image credit: West Midlands Police, Flickr]
