Solutions that help save lives - eCall routing and dynamic call routing
When the airbags deploy, the automatic emergency call system eCall (short for Emergency Call) now ensures fast, life-saving help arrives. Since March 2018, car manufacturers in the EU have been required to fit eCall in all newly registered cars and light trucks. In a serious accident, eCall automatically sends information via the mobile network over the European emergency number 112 to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point). This lets emergency services and the fire brigade find out within seconds exactly where the crashed vehicle is located. Under EU data protection rules, an eCall transmits only a minimum set of data (MSD): time of the accident, direction of travel, vehicle class and fuel type.
CreaLog's eCall routing creates more value for telcos
CreaLog supports telecommunications providers in the task of processing eCall emergency calls, including the additional data required under EU regulations, across their respective 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile networks, and routing them to the emergency call centers.
Until now, the eCall modems that receive the alarm have often been located at the PSAP. CreaLog's eCall now brings this function directly into the telco's network. This allows the mobile network operator to capture more value and also simplifies administration, since separate modems no longer need to be run at every PSAP.
The CreaLog solution complements existing country-specific emergency call routing systems with extended functions for routing eCall calls. Manual and automatic emergency calls from vehicles are received, and the associated data is extracted from the voice signal via modem communication and evaluated. The emergency call is then routed to the PSAP, and the MSD is written to the emergency call database via a standardized interface, where it remains permanently available to the PSAP through web services.
Besides the actual emergency call service, the eCall system can also be used for extended value-added vehicle monitoring services. The information gathered from the vehicle can be retrieved and put to use immediately.
Examples of possible use cases:
Information for inspections or other maintenance services,
Information for special car insurance rates or premiums,
Functioning as a black box, providing the police with insights into how an accident happened,
Locating the vehicle after theft.
Beyond eCall solutions, CreaLog also supports classic emergency numbers such as 110, 112, 133 and many others.
Dynamic call routing: no emergency call goes unanswered!
During major incidents, staff at regional PSAPs are quickly overwhelmed. What's needed then is a solution that intelligently forwards the excess calls to other regions with free capacity.
Such a solution was already implemented for Swisscom back in 2016, under the name Dynamic Call Routing (DLL). Here too, the goal was to summon help quickly in an emergency. Whether there's a fire, someone has collapsed, or a burglar is at the door, an emergency call should, wherever possible, always reach the nearest and responsible command center.
Long hold queues are absolutely taboo in emergencies.
In Switzerland and many European countries, alongside the general emergency number 112, there are a number of other emergency numbers for police, fire brigade, ambulance service, child/youth helplines or crisis hotlines. The official national languages German, Italian and French also had to be accounted for. As a result, an especially intelligent and flexible solution was needed to build one of the most advanced emergency call systems in Europe.
Innovative rerouting gets every caller through
For the first time, Swisscom's telephone network supports emergency call rerouting: if a command center is exceptionally unable to take calls, the emergency call is immediately forwarded to another PSAP. The rerouting plan can define different overflow destinations for each emergency number and each region. At the same time, call monitoring checks whether the call is actually picked up by another control center. If the next overflow destination is also unreachable, callers are escalated a further step to the Zurich Cantonal Police. This is how CreaLog's intelligent solution has, for years, ensured that no emergency call goes unanswered.
