26.05.2023

The Romanian Government adopted, today, an emergency ordinance on the implementation of measures meant to ensure an increased accuracy of the location of calls made to the Emergency Service 112. This new type of localization with increased accuracy will be provided only during the management of an emergency situation and it will be possible to achieve independently of the type of mobile phone used, including for those in older technologies, and the position determination areas will be narrowed up to 25 times, in some cases.

The legislative initiative belongs to the Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalization (MCID), being developed together with the Specialized Telecommunications Service (STS) and the National Authority for Communications Administration and Regulation (ANCOM), following consultations with mobile telephony operators in Romania. The normative act will allow the implementation of a technical solution that represents a premiere for the European emergency services, upon analysing the latest technologies available in the field.

Sebastian Burduja, the Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitalization (MCID): “Romania has currently one of the best 112 tracking systems in Europe and the best among the EU member states with complex landscape. This project is part of a wider effort to improve the localization of calls to 112; that is why we have submitted an amendment to the City Planning Code in the Parliament whereby we will require for all the newly built block buildings to be 3D mapped to facilitate the access of emergency intervention agencies to the precise place identified by 112.”

Currently, during a call to 112, the localization is carried out both based on the coverage characteristics of the GSM cell to which the phone is connected, and based on GPS, functions and sensors incorporated into smart phones. In the first case, the localization is provided for 99.9% of calls, but for localization areas greater than 12.5 km²  in 58% of the cases, and greater than 50 km² in 25% of them. Complementary with this first type of localization, the second case is based on the AML localization which is provided for about half of the calls to 112, due to the dependence on the mobile terminal and the limitations associated with this technology. Therefore, the new configuration will allow narrowing more the areas, with location accuracies of the order of tens or hundreds of meters, depending on the mobile communication technology used. Practically, the precise location of the call to 112 will be made both through the mobile phone and through the network.

Such a capability of the Emergency service 112 allows a faster intervention of the specialized Ambulance, Police, Firefighters, SMURD, Gendarmerie and Mountain Rescuers crews. Furthermore, it will help to locate more accurately the victims in case of natural calamities (earthquakes, floods, avalanches etc) or in the case of missing or lost persons.  

The legislative provisions adopted today will ensure the legal framework for configurations at the level of communications networks of public mobile telephony providers so that they can determine with increased accuracy the geographical coordinates of the place from where calls to 112 are initiated. Furthermore, at the level of the Emergency Service 112, the system architecture will be modified to allow receiving, processing and making available to operators and dispatchers the location information with increased accuracy.

The development process of the new functionality will be phased, during the next months: architecture, design, equipment installation, implementation and operationalization of methods for obtaining location information, pilot testing and national expansion.

In accordance with ANCOM`s policy to sustain the development of innovative services for the benefit of the end-users the Authority will transfer to the state budget the necessary amount for the implementation of this project as soon as possible.

MCID, STS and ANCOM appreciate the involvement of public mobile telephony providers in this vital project to manage efficiently the emergency situations announced at 112, their support being essential in implementing these tools intended for the protection of citizens.