AT&T's new 9-1-1 upgrade goes live in Meridian

AT&T has now rolled out its one-of-a-kind 9-1-1 upgrade. All callers have to do use their cell phone to dial 9-1-1 and the new Locate Before Route will make it easier and more accurate for First Responders to find and send help to all 9-1-1 mobile calls. This week the feature is now available to all Meridian and Mississippi residents.

Christopher Conoway, an AT&T expert said, "So it's really cool. It's called a location-based system, the location-based routing, which means that when somebody calls 9-1-1, traditionally it goes off the cell phone towers. But now using the GPS in your cell phone, it can accurately pinpoint where you are within half of a football field."

With Meridian being such a wooded area Conoway says this new upgrade has the potential impact to save many lives.

"In the past, it was hard for the Police or the EMTs to get out to you if you didn't tell them where you were or you didn't know your location. So we found that that was an issue, and AT&T is the first company in the Nation to have this Nationwide," he said.

Conoway stated that about 80-90% of all 9-1-1 calls come from cell phones and says the new technology fills a significant need. This new location-based routing is only available on the AT&T Network which automatically works on mobile 9-1-1 calls across the state.

"It works with all mobile devices, as long as it's with AT&T. The consumer doesn't have to do anything or change anything. Everything is done on the back end of the technology. So any consumers starting now can use this without a problem," he stated.

Sgt Luebbers with Meridian Police Department says that the new update will be helpful, especially in cases where there was a car wreck and the victims can’t relay their locations the new GPS system will help locate them more accurately and quicker.