Hey Kids: You Can Text 911 (But Only in Waterloo, Iowa)
While it may be a surprise to some kids that you cannot do this already, a call center in Waterloo, Iowa is the first in the nation to accept text messages from local T-Mobile customers. MSNBC reports on the rollout here.
This is an important step. In order to be useful, however:
- Phones need to be able to report their location to dispatchers. If your phone doesn’t have a built-in GPS, even cell-tower triangulation would be helpful. Currently, location comes from an automated text message response asking for a zip code.
- This needs to be carrier independent. Currently, if your carrier doesn’t support, you get an automated message telling you to call 911.
- The capability needs to be standard for more well-defined geographies. I hope this a standard develops within a couple of years.
