10 years of eCall in the EU: Milestones, lessons, and the road ahead

On 19 May 2015, the EU took a bold step to make its roads safer by publishing Regulation (EU) 2015/758 in its statute book, which made eCall mandatory in all new types of passenger and light duty vehicles sold in the EU after 31 March 2018. This life-saving technology which automatically alerts emergency services in the event of a crash, or manually by request of the vehicle’s occupants, promised to save lives by cutting response times and thereby reduce road fatalities.

eCall has indeed had a significant impact on public safety over the past 10 years, by cutting response times for emergency services, particularly on rural roads. However, the technology has also brought some challenges for PSAPs, including high numbers of false calls, operational issues with callbacks, and looming questions over the impact of the 2G/3G shutdown on its functionality.  As eCall reaches its 10-year anniversary, this article reflects on why eCall came about, how it was implemented, and what needs to be addressed in its future development.

The Road to eCall

The original concept of eCall was developed in 2001 as part of a German youth science competition. The concept was simple; when a vehicle detected a crash, such as following the deployment of an airbag, the car would automatically call emergency services.

10 years later, the European Commission identified this technology as a means to improve road safety as part of its EU road safety strategy 2011-2020 which sought to halve the number of road deaths in Europe.

As a first step, in 2012, the European Commission adopted a Delegated Regulation[1] which established common specifications for all EU PSAP infrastructures that received eCalls. Following this, in 2014, Decision 585/2014 required Member States to ensure that infrastructure meeting these specifications was deployed in their territory, and to ensure that their PSAPs could receive eCalls originating from anywhere in their territory with a mobile connection, free of charge. 

With PSAP infrastructure now in place in all EU Member States, the next step was to ensure that all EU cars had the capability to send eCalls following an accident.

To achieve this, on 13 June 2013, the European Commission proposed to oblige new types of vehicles placed on the EU market after 1 October 2015 to be equipped with eCall. This system would trigger automatically in the event of a crash, or could be activated manually.  

The scope of this proposal was limited to M1 vehicles, which are passenger vehicles with 8 seats or less, and N1 vehicles, which are light commercial vehicles with a capacity of less than 3.5 tonnes.

The proposal allowed Member States to integrate a Third Party Service Provider (TPSP) into their responses to eCall. If this model was used, TPSPs could receive eCalls, filter them into emergency and non-emergency calls, and then pass on information connected to real emergencies to the most appropriate PSAP. More information on the use of TPSPs in eCall is available here.

Unfortunately it would take almost 2 years for the European Parliament and Council to reach an agreement on this text, delaying the implementation of eCall. In addition, while the final agreement included strengthened provisions on data protection, it further delayed the deadline for implementing eCall in new types of vehicles to 31 March 2018, two and a half years later than originally intended.

It is also important to note that this was limited to new “types” of vehicles. This meant that vehicles designed and placed on the market before this date, and which continued to be sold unchanged after this date, would not need to be equipped with eCall.

Notwithstanding these delays, this Regulation was welcomed as a significant step forward for public safety in the EU. EENA welcomed it as great success for people’s protection and safety.

The next step would be to ensure that the technology was implemented effectively, so it could start saving lives on EU roads, and make it easier for PSAPs to help to people in vehicular emergencies.

Implementation of eCall in Europe – Widespread adoption, but many implementation issues.

Although Regulation (EU) 2015/758 did not require new vehicle types to use eCall until 31 March 2018, several countries began implementing this technology as early as December 2015, including Slovenia, Italy, Sweden and Spain. The European Commission also remained active during this period, publishing two further pieces of secondary legislation which set technical specifications for eCall modems, and strengthened their data protection and privacy.

Since 31 March 2018, all new types of vehicles placed on the EU market have been equipped with eCall. As these vehicles have entered the market in increasing numbers, the number of eCalls being received by PSAPs across Europe has increased correspondingly.  For example, in 2021, the first year for which there are figures for eCalls in Europe, PSAPs received 421,000 eCalls, while two years later this figure had risen by 56% to 658,000 eCalls. This indicates that eCall has helped people in accidents to contact emergency services.

However, while the ability of eCall to save lives has been proven, ongoing issues which undermine its effectiveness also need to be recognised and addressed. Since 2018, recurring issues with eCall have emerged which have limited its value for emergency services and citizens. As we approach ten years of eCall, it is time to address and resolve these issues, so that eCall can save greater numbers of lives in the future.

False Emergency Calls

One of the main issues impacting PSAPs is the high number of false emergency eCalls. While exact numbers are difficult to find, EENA’s 2024 PSAP report found that in 15 countries which provided data on both total eCalls and false calls, PSAPs received 356,746 eCalls in 2024, of which just 53,682 eCalls were for real emergencies. The percentage of false emergency calls received varied widely, with 18 out of 18 eCalls received in Malta being for real emergencies, while 98.3% of 15,626 eCalls in Portugal were no real emergency cases.

False eCalls waste PSAP resources, and can increase response times as PSAPs need to take additional steps to ensure a call is not false before sending help. PSAPs need to put in place specific procedures and resources to filter the eCalls.

Only responding to verified accidents is particularly problematic, as it undermines a key value add of eCall; providing emergency alerts when occupants are incapacitated or unable to speak. Similarly, if a second emergency communication is required by PSAPs to verify the eCall, the eCall becomes redundant. This additional filtering also increases response times for emergency services.

Callback Issues

PSAPs also face ongoing issues with eCallbacks. When an eCall to a PSAP is cut, perhaps due to a temporary loss of connection, PSAPs often face difficulties calling the vehicle back as many numbers used for eCall belong to numbering ranges which have been blocked by mobile networks.

To resolve this, PSAPs need to ensure that their phone systems do not block calls to these numbers, while regulatory authorities and mobile network operators must ensure that their lines do not block calls to these numbers, and that they charge a reasonable price for calls on these numbers. PSAPs can also take part in eCallback tests organised by EENA. Despite these solutions, callbacks to vehicles with +882/883 numbers continue to work inconsistently. An amendment to Article 97 of the European Electronic Communications Code could resolve this, by adding international numbers to the range of numbers that must be accessible for end users in the EU.

These issues are unfortunately not new. As early as 2018, EENA’s conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia discussed the implementation of the new technology, with operators at the time finding that numbers of false eCalls were becoming a distraction to their work. Similarly, EENA has worked since 2019 on resolving callbacks, with some success, but more work remains to be done.

Some Positive Developments on Privacy

On a lighter note, while eCall initially created some privacy concerns, this is no longer the case. The European Parliament and Council added language in the original Regulation ensuring that data from these calls couldn’t be shared with third parties. This shows that issues facing eCall can be resolved, provided that there is sufficient political will.

However perhaps the greatest challenge for eCall will come in the next years, as the 2G/3G networks which it relies on are shut down, resulting in millions of vehicles potentially losing the ability to contact emergency services following a crash.

Future Challenges – NG eCall and the 2G/3G shutdown

Europe’s telecoms landscape is undergoing a significant change as its 2G and 3G networks are shut down. Network shutdowns are part of the life cycle of any network; in time, new networks with better data transmission capabilities enter the market, making older networks less efficient. Keeping old networks online when they are no longer commonly used is costly for Mobile Network Operators, necessitating their shutdowns when they become obsolete. As the proportion of data using 2G and 3G networks has shrunk, several EU countries are now shutting down their 2G and 3G networks.

However, while modern handsets can use both 2G/3G and 4G/5G connections, eCall in EU vehicles is currently limited to 2G/3G only. As a result, if 2G/3G networks are no longer available, eCall in these vehicles will cease to function.

There is no clear solution to the situation facing vehicles equipped with legacy eCall. Member States to coordinate their efforts to switch off 2G and 3G networks, and to the delay the switch off until a solution has been found for the issue. However, extending shutdowns without identifying a solution risks delaying rather than resolving the problem, and would be costly for MNOs. The European Commission has also suggested that vehicles equipped with legacy eCall may need to be upgraded to new packet switched modems, possibly by using after-market devices. This could avoid any loss of access to 112 for vehicles with legacy eCall.

The December 2024 BEREC report on the impact of market and technological developments on end user rights also expressed concerns over the 2G and 3G switch off. The report stated that ensuring that devices and handsets which are 2G and 3G capable remain functional is critical to ensure continued access to emergency services. BEREC suggested that 2G and 3G networks should remain available for these devices until a reasonable period after the introduction, availability and use of new alternatives, such as NGeCall. The reference to alternatives again indicates a need for vehicles with legacy eCall to be equipped with updated modems.

As the 2G and 3G network shut down approaches, Next Generation eCall, a new system which will use packet switched 4G and 5G networks, is required by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1180  to be used in new types of vehicles placed on the market after 1 January 2026, and for all new vehicles placed on the EU market after 1 January 2027. Notwithstanding the risks of the 2G and 3G network switch off for legacy eCall, NGeCall will create several new opportunities to improve quality of services for vehicle users. Vehicles will be able to send more information, more reliably and faster, while data will be capable of transmission to the PSAP without interfering with any conversation between the occupants of the vehicle, and the PSAP.

Therefore, while EENA has some concerns over the impact of the switch off of legacy eCall, it is clear that NGeCall is a positive step which will improve safety on EU roads. Furthermore, EENA is participating in the EU funded X_HeERO project to help PSAPs across Europe to be fully equipped to handle Next Generation eCalls by 1 January 2026. Member States and the European Commission can also help speed up the transition by coordinating tests for the new technology and exchanging best practices for NGeCall. However, NGeCall will only add value if the phase out of legacy eCall is done correctly, and the phase in of this new technology is done in a manner that avoids the pitfalls experienced during the first decade of eCall deployment.

Conclusions

The past 10 years have proven that eCall is a life-saving technology, but they have also shown that drawbacks in its implementation can greatly reduce its effectiveness. The 10 year anniversary of Regulation (EU) 2015/758 should therefore serve as a call to action for the public safety community and policymakers to work together to resolve these issues. Hopefully by 31 March 2028, 10 years after the first new types of vehicles in the EU were required to include eCall, all of these issues will have been resolved, so that people on the EU’s roads will be able to fully benefit from this life saving technology.

[1] Delegated Regulation 305/2013 supplementing Directive 2010/40/EU, with regard to the harmonised provision for an interoperable EU-wide eCall