Texas A&M Telecommunications was recently recognized by the US Department of Transportation's Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for contributions to the Next Generation 9-1-1 initiative.

The current 9-1-1 system was created decades ago to transmit voice media only. It was not designed to handle the multimedia communication in a wireless, mobile society. The US DOT's NG9-1-1 initiative was initiated to establish a foundation for modernized emergency communication services. This next generation 9-1-1 network will enable transmission of voice, text, video, and photos, and provide in a more robust, resilient emergency communication system.

Texas A&M Telecommunications was a key participant in this project, which was launched in 2006. Texas A&M served as one of three prototype testing laboratories for demonstrating proof-of-concept for the NG9-1-1 model. A $1.3 million grant from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) funded Texas A&M's participation in this project.

Visit the following links for more information about the NG9-1-1 initiative:

Research and Innovative Technology Administration: Next Generation 9-1-1