EENA’s newsletter brings you the latest updates in emergency communications.
In this edition, you can read about emergency call outages in Australia, unified emergency numbers to be launched in Peru and Thailand, a study on improved response to cardiac arrests, and much more!
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EENA News
Registration now open: Future EU Legislation on Emergency Communications
Join us in Brussels on 3–4 December 2025 for our seminar on Future EU Legislation on Emergency Communications.
With the Digital Networks Act (DNA) on the horizon, this two-day event will explore what the new legislation means for emergency communications in Europe. We will review the current European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), debate the main issues that will shape DNA negotiations, and look at the future of caller location, access to 112, and the transition to NG112.
This is a unique opportunity to hear directly from decision-makers and experts, while connecting with colleagues across Europe who share the same mission: ensuring reliable and equal access to emergency communications for all citizens.
Save the date: EENA Event: Future EU Legislation on Emergency Communications
Call for abstracts is open for the EENA 2026 Conference!
The EENA 2026 Conference & Exhibition will take place in Riga, Latvia, from 15–17 April 2026. We are inviting abstracts for presentations to help shape the programme.
This is your opportunity to contribute your expertise, showcase innovative projects, and be part of the global conversation on emergency response. To be considered as a speaker, you must submit an abstract of your proposed presentation. The deadline to propose your abstracts is Friday, 17 October 2025.
Learn more & submit your proposal here
Cristina Lumbreras re-elected as ETSI TC EMTEL chair
EENA’s Technical Director Cristina Lumbreras has been re-elected as Chair of ETSI TC EMTEL for another two years. ETSI TC EMTEL plays a key role in shaping Europe’s emergency communications. It defines requirements for communication in emergencies between citizens and authorities, across authorities, and amongst citizens themselves. The committee’s work spans areas such as Advanced Mobile Location (AML), NG112 (voice, data, video, text), IoT in emergencies and public alerting, as well as supporting conformance testing and Plugtests, including NG112 communications.
New EENA document: NG112 use cases
Our latest document outlines how the Next-Generation 112 (NG112) architecture can address current and future challenges in emergency communications. It highlights core services such as the Location Information Service (LIS), the Emergency Call Routing Function (ECRF), and the Emergency Service Routing Proxy (ESRP). The document also explores new use cases beyond voice, including routing by media type or language, cross-border collaboration, and integration with third-party services. Finally, it shows how standardised interfaces enable interoperability, flexibility, and innovation, laying the foundation for the future of emergency communications.
EENA responds to consultation on long-term budget for Civil Protection, Preparedness and Response
On 24 September, EENA responded to the European Commission’s consultation on the next long-term budget for Civil Protection, Preparedness and Response (2018–2034). EENA welcomed the proposed fivefold increase of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) budget to EUR 10.7 billion, while noting that this may still be insufficient given the growing severity of crises. It also underlined that EU funding should complement, not replace, Member State action. Finally, EENA called for the budget to also support emergency communications, including public warning and measures to improve the accessibility, coverage and resilience of 112.
Webinars
Emergency satellite communications
21 October at 14:30 CET
Smartphones can now connect directly with satellites to receive emergency alerts and transmit public warnings in areas without terrestrial mobile coverage. This innovation, known as Direct-to-Device (D2D) communication, has been implemented in several countries and is expected to become available across the EU in the coming years. As one of the major applications of D2D is emergency communications, this webinar will examine how the technology works, its potential to strengthen access to 112, and the steps needed to ensure it improves the resilience and availability of 112.
Add the webinar to your calendar.
Did you miss the latest webinar? You can now watch the recording of our webinar on Emergency communications challenges and opportunities in the Digital Networks Act. The webinar explored unresolved issues with LTE and IMS and discussed how the EU’s Digital Networks Act can provide the framework to address these risks.
Are you interested in sharing your expertise in an EENA webinar? You can contact Sanna Antila at [email protected] to suggest topics you’d like to speak on in our upcoming webinars.
Projects
X_HeERO Webinar #2 Future eCall Collaboration
8 October at 15:00 CEST
For several years the European eCall Implementation Platform (EeIP) has brought together relevant stakeholders and the European Commission to discuss progress, problems, and solutions for the technical and organisational development of eCall. The concept of an eCall Association has been developed to install a stable platform for future eCall cooperation. The webinar will provide an overview on the status of reactivation and coordination to bring interest groups together and discuss options for sustainable eCall development together with EeIP.
Emergency communications around the world
Emergency call outages in Australia linked to multiple deaths
Australian telecom operator Optus has suffered two major disruptions to the country’s emergency call service in less than two weeks. On 18 September, a botched firewall update blocked hundreds of calls across South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory for 13 hours. At least three deaths have been linked to the outage. Investigations revealed that escalation procedures were not followed, with at least five warning calls mishandled by an offshore centre. Optus waited 40 hours to publicly disclose the incident and failed to notify regulators promptly.
On 29 September, a second outage hit around 4,500 residents in Dapto, south of Sydney, after a faulty mobile tower disrupted emergency calls. Although services were restored and no casualties were reported, the failure has intensified criticism for the operator. The federal government and regulators, including the Australian Communications and Media Authority, have called the failures “shocking” and promised significant consequences.
Read more here (The Guardian).
UK fines Vonage for emergency call outage
Ofcom has fined Vonage, a telecoms provider owned by Ericsson, £700,000 after some UK business customers were unable to connect to emergency services for more than a week in late 2023. The disruption, caused by a software update, affected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) desk phones and left users at risk by blocking access to 999. Ofcom said Vonage failed to test its systems, monitor for outages, or detect the fault promptly. The fine was reduced by 30% after Vonage admitted liability and pledged improvements, including stronger monitoring and safeguards to prevent similar failures.
Read more here (Yahoo Finance).
Vietnam launches nationwide 112 emergency number
Vietnam has introduced a nationwide 112 emergency number to strengthen its capacity to respond to disasters and urgent incidents. The service connects directly to provincial military commands, as well as police (113), fire and rescue (114), and medical services (115). It also links with maritime communication stations and civil defence networks, ensuring rapid coordination across agencies. Managed by the Ministry of National Defence, the number is free to call or text, with telecom providers required to guarantee secure connections.
Peru to launch unified 911 emergency centre
Peru will begin trialling its new 911 Emergency Centre in November 2025, aiming to unify the country’s main response services under one number. The centre will replace existing hotlines for police, fire, medical emergencies, and domestic violence, streamlining coordination and response. Located at the National Emergency Operations Centre in Chorrillos, the facility will house more than 90 operators and 100 dispatchers in its first phase, expanding to 600 dispatchers once fully operational. The system will feature advanced geolocation for faster response, integration with police surveillance systems, and multilingual support, including Quechua and indigenous languages. It will also deploy filters to block spam calls and prioritise genuine emergencies. Serving more than 10 million residents in Lima and Callao initially, the centre is expected to expand nationwide after testing and evaluation.
Read more here (Infobae, in Spanish).
Berlin moves to reform rescue services law
Berlin’s government has approved a draft reform of the Rescue Services Act to ease pressure on its overstretched emergency system. In 2024, almost half a million ambulance call-outs were recorded, with many involving non-urgent cases. The reform aims to prioritise true emergencies by expanding the use of the alternative 19 222 number for patient transport and categorising call-outs by urgency. Preventive measures, such as better health literacy and expanded first aid training, will also be introduced. The goal is to ensure ambulances focus on critical cases like heart attacks or strokes while non-urgent needs are redirected to appropriate care.
Amsterdam to join GPS protection pilot for victims of abuse
Amsterdam has announced plans to join a national pilot using GPS devices to protect victims of stalking and domestic violence. The devices connect directly to perpetrators’ ankle monitors and trigger alerts when the perpetrator comes too close, notifying both victims and authorities. Unlike existing emergency buttons, which only activate when a victim is already confronted, the GPS function provides earlier warnings and allows time for intervention. The trial, already underway in Rotterdam and other municipalities, has shown promising results in increasing victims’ sense of safety and preventing dangerous encounters. Pending approval from the Ministry of Justice and Security, Amsterdam aims to roll out the devices later this year.
Multi-state 911 outage after fibre cuts
A major 911 outage affected parts of Mississippi and Louisiana on September 25 after multiple fiber cuts disrupted telecommunications networks. Mississippi and New Orleans authorities reported widespread service interruptions beginning around 1:30 PM., with restoration confirmed by late afternoon. Officials said there was no indication of malicious activity.
Study shows improved survival after cardiac arrest due to faster response
A new study from Vienna’s professional emergency medical service and the Medical University of Vienna reports a ten-percentage-point increase in survival chances after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest over the past 15 years. Analysis of 7,500 cases in the Vienna Cardiac Arrest Registry shows survival rose from 29% in 2009–2010 to 39% in 2019–2023, with more patients leaving the hospital in good neurological condition. The improvement is credited to faster intervention by first responders, early use of defibrillators, and professional resuscitation. Dispatch-linked apps now alert police, fire, and trained volunteers, strengthening the rescue chain and enabling advanced hospital treatment.
Read more here (The International).
New GSMA report on Chile’s emergency alerts
GSMA has released a case study on Chile’s Sistema de Alerta de Emergencia (SAE), highlighting it as a strong example of a mobile-based early warning system. The report goes beyond describing SAE, setting out 10 key considerations for governments, mobile operators, and disaster management stakeholders to strengthen national alerting through effective public-private collaboration. By drawing on Chile’s experience, the report provides practical insights into how mobile technology can deliver rapid, reliable alerts at scale and support more resilient early warning systems worldwide.
EENA was here
EUSEM 2025
September 28 – October 1, 2025, Vienna, Austria
At the European Society for Emergency Medicine’s annual congress, Demetrios Pyrros, president of the EENA board, presented a keynote speech on the achievements of 112 and its potential to further strengthen emergency medical care for European citizens.
Discussions on new rules on 112 with the EU institutions
Over the past weeks, EENA has met with several people in the European Commission and five MEPs or their offices to discuss the future of EU laws on emergency communications. These discussions focused on the upcoming Digital Networks Act, which is expected in December and will revise existing EU rules on access to 112 and public warning, and the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which is an opportunity to improve the functioning of public warning in Europe. In the meetings, EENA has also emphasised the need for better implementation of existing rules on 112, as 8 EU countries still lack either mobile-based public warning, handset-based caller location, or both.