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California Selects Next-Generation 911 Provider

The multi-year contract will migrate the state’s current emergency response systems to an Emergency Services IP network that is shared by all first responders and public safety agencies.

Atos won California’s Next-Generation 911 services contract, the state announced today.

The multi-year contract will migrate the state’s current emergency response systems to an Emergency Services IP network that is shared by all first responders and public safety agencies.

The software provided by Atos will centralize responses by creating a single platform for public-safety answering points and jurisdictions to integrate voice over Internet protocols, a managed IP network and all incoming and outgoing media.

The system will allow safety agencies to respond to incoming voice, data and text requests for assistance. Eventually, dispatchers could even respond to streaming video.

“Current 9-1-1 systems simply can’t support this increasingly digital and socially engaged public, so many governments and municipalities — like the state of California — are exploring Next-Generation 9-1-1 options to ensure citizens can get the help they need during emergencies,” Ryan Schebler, an Atos senior vice president, wrote in a company press release.

The single platform will make tracking response data easier and faster. It will also allow for multiple agencies to respond at the same time through a centralized communication system to all agencies.

Using the company’s flexible infrastructure, local governments can build on previous modernization efforts.

The contract follows a multi-year process of focus groups and seeking stakeholder feedback.

Kayla Nick-Kearney was a staff writer for Techwire from March 2017 through January 2019.