NGA, Verizon, Logan County (W. Va.) deploy nation’s first End State NENA i3

LOGAN COUNTY, W. Va. – Next Generation Advanced (NGA) and Verizon announced today that they have deployed the nation’s first National Emergency Number Association (NENA) i3 End State in Logan County, West Virginia.

This first-in-the-nation, end-to-end Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) deployment is a model for how originating service providers, NG9-1-1 providers, and public safety stakeholders should prioritize and implement NG9-1-1 for consumers across the country.

Verizon Wireless’s 9-1-1 VoLTE calls no longer use a legacy selective router and ALI services in Logan County. Verizon 9-1-1 callers, including users of Real-Time Text (RTT), will benefit from Logan County’s investments in NENA’s i3 new and robust call routing and location capabilities.  Verizon and NGA have set the bar high for the industry’s Next Generation 9-1-1 deployments by realizing End State NENA i3.

Ted Sparks, Director of Logan County Emergency Operations 911 said, “NENA End State has immediately and positively impacted my Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Operations.  Dispatchers noticed a remarkable improvement in audio quality on  i3 calls.  Extremely accurate location is delivered as the call arrives. Before call takers answer the 9-1-1 caller, NGA’s NEXiSConnect (CHS) displays the location from Verizon without an over-the-top solution. And, most importantly, single points of failure in the legacy 9-1-1 network have been replaced with NGA’s active-active, multi-region NGA ESInet. We look forward to the other providers following Verizon’s lead and getting connected to our ESInet.”

“Without NENA’s comprehensive i3 specification this industry-leading innovation would not have been possible.  i3 is the complete specification for deploying this NG9-1-1 system,” said Don Ferguson, CEO of NGA. “The public-safety community and the tech industry have realized the most up-to-date, comprehensive, consensus-driven, open standard for NG9-1-1 and it has proven successful in West Virginia. We hope this will hasten and strengthen the push forward in the deployment of NG9-1-1 systems, services, and products across the state of West Virginia and the nation.”

Cynthia Grupe, Vice President, Network Engineering at Verizon said, “Verizon is proud of leading the industry in end-to-end NG9-1-1 deployment, and remains laser-focused on implementation of i3 throughout our wireless coverage area as state and local governments continue to ramp up their own NG9-1-1 efforts. We urge other government stakeholders to prioritize and commit resources to i3 implementation.”

About Logan County: The Mission of the Logan County Emergency Operations Center is to contribute to the safety and quality of life of our community by linking the citizens of Logan County to our public safety agencies with efficient, reliable, responsive, and professional communications services.

About NGA: Next Generation Advanced: NGA is a comprehensive, adaptable, and dependable NG9-1-1 system that offers 911 Cloud services that are safe and reasonably priced everywhere globally. With the most recent NG9-1-1 technology available, our gradual deployment and proprietary solutions are ready to seamlessly move traditional 9-1-1 systems to the future of emergency services.

About Verizon: Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000, and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology and communications services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $133.6 billion in 2021. The company offers data, video, and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security, and control.

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For media inquiries please contact Rebecca.Dungey@nga911.com.