Fergie's Tech Blog

Nextel to seek more time for locating 911 callers

Via Reuters.

Nextel Communications Inc. plans to ask for a waiver from a December deadline that 95 percent of its customers' wireless phones be capable of identifying the location of a caller to emergency personnel.

Nextel, being acquired by the No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Corp., said it will ask the Federal Communications Commission for the waiver, according to a July 26 letter made available on Monday.

The FCC set Dec. 31 as the deadline for 95 percent of all wireless handsets to be able to pinpoint the location of a caller to 911 emergency services. Nextel said it could take up to an extra two years to reach that goal.

The company said as a stand-alone carrier, 70 percent of customers' phones would be compliant by the end of 2005, and as a merged company with Sprint, it would reach 80 percent to 85 percent, the filing said.

posted by Fergie @ 8/01/2005 04:53:00 PM