The ECC's Working Group Numbering and Networks (WG NaN) held a public workshop on "Numbering for eCall" on Tuesday 31 January 2017 at the European Communications Office in Copenhagen, Denmark. eCall is an initiative intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere in Europe. It works using in-vehicle sensors which, when activated, automatically call the pan-European Emergency Number 112. From 31 March 2018, all new type cars sold in Europe must have eCall capability.
The workshop, which gathered 60 participants, had expert presenters and participants from all of the key stakeholder groups including the automotive sector, mobile network sector, the national emergency services authorities and the regulatory sector.
eCall is essentially a mobile communications service and its success is dependent on good geographical coverage and the ability to roam seamlessly across national and international networks. Therefore each eCall device requires a valid SIM card, and consequently, an E.212 International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number – for network authentication and registration – and an E.164 telephone number for making and receiving calls.
A key question for regulators and policy makers in the context of numbering for eCall is whether the traditional approach to numbering on a national basis is suitable. Can national numbering arrangements cope with potentially millions of eCall and other M2M devices being assigned numbering resources in one European country for connectivity in another? Is an international solution a better approach in the long term or will technological developments allay any regulatory concerns regarding numbering?
WG NaN is planning to publish an ECC deliverable on Numbering for eCall and this public workshop represented a key milestone in that process in terms of fully informing the deliverable. The workshop focused on the challenges and solutions of deploying eCall right across the supply chain from the installation of eCall devices and SIM modules in vehicles to the activation of those devices throughout Europe while considering the implications for numbering.
As well as providing an opportunity for participants to exchange views on all aspects of eCall, the discussions provided further light on determining the best approaches to adopt in order to avoid fragmentation of national numbering plans and ensure sustainability in the long term.
Workshop Programme
The workshop programme is available here.
Speaker Information
Speaker biographies and abstracts are available here.
Presentations
Session 1 - Introduction
Session 2 - eCall Deployment and Life Cycle Management
Session 3 - Mobile network and numbering perspective
Session 4 - PSAP Readiness
Session 5 - The Future and Wrap-Up
For further information please contact Freddie McBride at the European Communications Office.
