The technology upgrade replaces a decades-old network with an Internet protocol-based system designed to deliver faster, more accurate information to first responders. A systems migration started with BERNCO, which finished July 17; six additional agencies — including Albuquerque Police Department and New Mexico State Police District 5 — will follow. Funding for the transition comes from increased 911 service fees and state grants, with state lawmakers enacting a 49-cent increase to the 911 surcharge starting in 2026.
Statewide planning for NG911 began several years earlier with the NM-911 Bureau, BERNCO Emergency Communications Director Robbie McCormick said. Ultimately, no fewer than 45 emergency communications centers are slated for onboarding. The first migration, or “first hop,” connects local call routing to the new emergency services IP network (ESInet), a foundational step toward full NG911 capability.
NG911 promises to replace legacy routing systems that depend on the caller’s phone exchange or cell tower location with GIS-based mapping. This means that call takers are able to pinpoint caller locations with better accuracy, regardless of device. The system supports text-to-911, multimedia sharing; and potentially, the exchange of real-time data, transmitted over the IP-based network.
That change could make a critical difference in states like New Mexico, where vast rural areas, major tourist events like the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and monuments like Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a hiking destination, can challenge emergency responders. Interoperability is also a long-term goal, with mapping and routing designed to work across state lines into Texas, Colorado and Arizona.
“The location-based services are extremely important in a rural environment where there aren't a lot of landmarks in between spaces,” McCormick said. “And we do get a lot of through traffic. We have [Interstate] 25 going north and south. We have [Interstate] 40 going east and west. ... We have a lot of tourists who do not know the terrain.”
The project is supported by the state Department of Finance and Administration’s NM-911 Bureau in conjunction with counties, municipalities and local public safety agencies. The new system’s location-based services will help find lost hikers in the mountains, direct first responders on rural highways and provide critical visuals for complex accidents, McCormick said.
While the Bernalillo migration is the first in the statewide rollout, it reflects a broader, national effort. NG911, promoted by the FCC as the future of public safety, allows call centers to receive not just voice calls, but also texts, images, videos and advanced location data. While the concept has been in development for years, adoption has been uneven nationwide. The National 911 Annual Report: 2021 Data showed that 12 states had full NG911-capable infrastructure in place, while 10 states reported none. Ohio is in transition to its new system, and Georgia’s fiscal 2026 state budget allocates $5.7 million to its changeover.
“The hardest work has been done,” McCormick said. “I’m declaring migration day as a milestone ... turn it on and watch it go.”
