Ensuring continuity of access to emergency services in the transition to IMS/VoLTE services

European citizens travelling in the United States may not currently be offered a voice service from their home network provider’s roaming partners there. This means that they will be unable to make any voice call, including a voice call to 911 emergency services. The problem is due to an interoperability issue between end-user handsets and visited networks impacting the availability of Voice over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE). The problem is exacerbated where previous generations of mobile network technology (2G and 3G) have been phased out and no fallback solution is available.

What was mentioned:

• The causes, and consequences, of the lack of 4G interoperability between certain phones and certain mobile network operators. Rudolf van der Berg, who has warned in the past over this risk, will present the underlying causes of the problem and provide expert insights on how it may be resolved.
• EENA representatives will update participants on the steps that need to be taken by all relevant stakeholders to ensure continuity of access to emergency services for all end-users during the transition from legacy 2G/3G voice services.