North Carolina Completes Yearslong Transition to NG911

North Carolina has taken a significant step in improving emergency response by fully transitioning to Next-Generation 911 (NG911). Upon Anson County’s upgrade to NG911, all of the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) statewide that receive funding from the N.C. 911 Board are now a part of the NG911 network.

The network uses AT&T ESInet and allows secure routing of digital information, including landline and cellphone calls, as well as text messages, to the appropriate PSAP. It provides high-speed connections allowing every PSAP to act as backups for the others in case of a natural disaster or an overload of 911 calls.

“We now have the redundancy and resiliency to ensure 911 calls are handled as quickly and efficiently as possible,” Jim Weaver, chief information officer and secretary for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, said in a statement. “This is a tremendous achievement for the people of North Carolina and would not have been accomplished without close collaboration among the board, the state’s PSAPs and our vendor partners.”

The state began the transition to NG911 in 2018 when Durham 911 joined AT&T ESInet. The Durham PSAP uses a hosted call solution and text messaging. Anson County completed the statewide transition to when it moved to NG911 in February, migrating its landline, wireless and IP telephony providers to AT&T ESInet.

“NextGen911 really is NowGen911 for North Carolina,” L.V. Pokey Harris, executive director of the North Carolina 911 Board, said in a statement. “This network not only better supports callers, but also gives our telecommunications and emergency responders the data-rich information they need to effectively do their jobs and ultimately save lives throughout our state.”