Some Verizon Wireless 911 Calls Hit by GPS Glitch
Some U.S. subscribers dialing 911 for emergency services on their mobile phones could find that their call is interrupted several times due to a recently discovered glitch in a new technology meant to pinpoint the caller’s location, Verizon Wireless said on Wednesday. The interruption is a side effect of technology Verizon uses to tell police and other emergency personnel a caller’s location so that help can be dispatched as soon as possible, according to Verizon spokesman Jeffrey Nelson, who said the company is fixing the problem. U.S. wireless operators have been working for years to meet regulatory requirements for giving location information to emergency services but progress has been slowed by new technology and the need to coordinate with thousands of safety organizations. Full Story