Comtech provides location platform across all mobile networks for
public safety services
MELVILLE, N.Y. –
December 3, 2018 — Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (Nasdaq:CMTL), a
world leader in secure and highly reliable wireless communication
technology, announced today, that its Enterprise Technologies group,
which is part of Comtech’s Commercial Solutions segment, will provide
New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
with a turnkey Location-Based
Services (“LBS”) platform to support location requirements for
Public Safety services. This multi-million dollar deployment provides
coverage to the country’s Emergency Caller Location Information (ECLI)
service, enabling location determination for handsets across all New
Zealand mobile networks.
Launched by MBIE in May 2017, the ECLI service provides emergency
dispatch services with the probable location of a caller when dialing
111 from a mobile phone, enabling public safety agencies to respond
quickly. By deploying Comtech’s virtual LBS platform in a centralized
data center, the ECLI can now connect to all local mobile network
operators, complementing existing handset-based location services,
including Advanced Mobile Location (AML) for Android and iOS handsets.
This provide access to location data for all mobile handset models,
regardless of network, throughout New Zealand, including international
roamers traveling into the country.
“Since deploying the ECLI service in May 2017, we have made significant
progress in providing a mobile caller’s location to NZ emergency
services when they dial 111. However, to reach our target of providing
high-precision location to 95% of genuine smartphone 111 calls, we
recognized the need to expand our location capabilities and make it
possible to locate any 111 call across New Zealand,” said Ben Quay, ECLI
Programme Director, MBIE. “By integrating Comtech’s location platform
into the ECLI service, we have delivered a handset and network agnostic
location service capable of accurately identifying the precise location
of any 111 caller. This further improves the safety of New Zealanders
and now extends the capability for international visitors to New Zealand
who call 111.”
“With the proliferation of mobile devices across the globe, legacy
emergency service dispatch systems that have solely relied on landline
connections to locate callers, are now dangerously impacted. This
becomes even more challenging when working across multiple devices and
networks that operate differently,” said Fred Kornberg, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. “By further
extending the capabilities of the ECLI with our location platform, New
Zealand’s MBIE is addressing this challenge head on and creating a more
efficient and effective service for the country’s emergency personnel.”
In 2016, police in New Zealand recorded more than 8,100 incidents (from
over 700,000 incidents), where a special information request to a mobile
network operator was needed in order to determine a caller’s location, a
time-consuming process that can be costly for emergency services. Since
implementing advanced location services in 2017, the number of requests
has declined due to handset derived location data, though this is
limited due to AML being available only to Android and iOS handsets. The
implementation of Comtech’s LBS platform provides a carrier grade
implementation that provides enhanced location capabilities that
guarantees a location using multiple methods even when AML cannot.
Special information requests will decline further due to ECLI direct
integration with New Zealand’s mobile networks.
New Zealand’s MBIE launched the extension to its location services on
November 21, 2018. Click here
to learn more about ECLI and here
to read the Minster’s press release.
About Comtech
The Enterprise Technologies group of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is
a leading provider of precise device location, mapping and messaging
solutions. Sold around the world to mobile network operators, government
agencies, and Fortune 100 enterprises, our platforms locate, map, track
and message. For more information, visit www.comtechenterprise.com.
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. designs, develops, produces and markets
innovative products, systems and services for advanced communications
solutions. The Company sells products to a diverse customer base in the
global commercial and government communications markets.
Certain information in this press release contains statements that are
forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and
uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from such
forward-looking information. The Company’s Securities and Exchange
Commission filings identify many such risks and uncertainties. Any
forward-looking information in this press release is qualified in its
entirety by the risks and uncertainties described in such Securities and
Exchange Commission filings.
PCMTL
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181203005694/en/
Media Contact:
Michael D. Porcelain
Senior Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer
(631) 962-7000
[email protected]
