App, App, App, App, Stayin’ Alive: Pairing OTT Communication and Emergency Services

For better or for worse, the fact is that today over-the-top (OTT) communication services like Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Twitter are deeply embedded in our lives. We use them to communicate with family, friends, and even professionally. The success of these applications is partly due to their superior ability to seamlessly help users share their lives with others, via photo, video, or location.  

For some users, these services are their primary channel for communication. They are more comfortable using apps than making an “old fashioned” phone call. It stands to reason that as adoption of these apps increases, particularly among younger generations, that someone might be as quick to send a Whatsapp message in a crisis than call the emergency services number.

With this in mind, it may be time for all OTTs to provide emergency service functionality as part of their standard offering. Emergency service access through OTT can enhance the communication between users and PSAPs (public service access points) or the local emergency response centers in case of emergency situations. For example, the use of Whatsapp in mountain rescue situations can provide an accurate location as well as other vital information to the response team. All the stranded party needs to do is share the location and a picture with emergency staff.

The possible benefits of adding emergency services functions to apps have not been overlooked by policy makers in both the United States and the European Union. In fact, the FCC has already made steps toward this by requiring text messaging providers, including OTT apps, to enable 911 texting in an emergency. Furthermore, a report published by the European Commission in April 2016 shows that there is substantial demand for making emergency service access a requirement for all OTT providers in Europe.

If linking OTTs to emergency services were to happen on a global scale, the big question is how communication between the OTT networks, such as Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger, and PSAPs should happen. There are two possible approaches:

1. OTT providers and emergency service centers can interconnect in a new, all-IP way: This option would give OTT users access to emergency services using their own in-application capabilities (such as sharing location information or pictures). In order to succeed, a common global interworking standard between all OTTs and PSAPs would need to be defined. However, the process of actually defining such a standard would be massively complex. To date, there haven’t been any steps taken so establishing a solution working on a global scale is still five to 10 years away.  
2. OTTs would collaborate with partners to route the emergency calls: After recognizing that the user is trying to contact emergency services, the OTT would use a telecom partner (mobile network operator, mobile virtual network operator or third party provider) to send the call and location information of this subscriber using a (virtual) phone number that identifies the user. This provider would then route the call to the emergency access numbers (112 in Europe, 911 in North America, etc.) and provide the location information to PSAPs, similar to how mobile operators do currently. This could provide every communication app with the ability to contact emergency services – which seems to be an unavoidable trend for OTTs if we believe the noise from the regulators. While it may not support multimedia information, it is a faster solution for apps to provide a way to reach emergency services. For there to be a healthy ecosystem, PSAPs and regulators need to open the door to information coming in from more than just the traditional mobile networks. They would also have to centralize the interfaces used to provide this information to one single point per country. This solution can be implemented in one to two years and would proactively help OTTs comply with a possible mandate from regulators in a shorter timeframe.

In order to provide the best experience for their users, OTTs will have to accept that adding access to emergency services is their responsibility. Equally, PSAPs can benefit as well because it helps them find those in trouble faster, with as much accuracy as a phone call, and with the added bonus of extra information, such a picture, that OTTs can provide.

There’s still a long way to go when it comes to fully pairing OTT and emergency services. Linking this kind of technology is a huge undertaking as it requires an unprecedented collaboration between technology providers and regulatory bodies. While OTT providers will inevitably have to update their technology to accommodate the trend, it doesn’t make it any less of a challenge. Perhaps the rulings of the regulators operating in each country will give them the incentive they need to "stay alive" in the era of apps.

By Antonio Latorre, Product Manager, Voxbone