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Wireless

Tarrant County 9-1-1 Wireless Facts 

  • Wireless calls are now the dominant source of 9-1-1 calls in Tarrant County.
  • Most PSAPs average over 80% wireless on a day-to-day basis
  • Wireless calls to 9-1-1 are different than traditional landline calls
  • All 9-1-1 calls received at PSAPS are displayed on a map, but wireless calls rely heavily on map displays for location information
  • Tarrant County has implemented both Phases I and Phase II wireless technology
    • PSAPS receives the calling party’s number and location of the caller by XY coordinates
    • Wireless locations are usually accurate to within about 50 meters of the callers’ actual location in Tarrant County
    • Wireless calls route by the location of the tower processing the call and NOT by the location of the caller
    • When networks are busy, wireless calls may route to PSAPs other than the closest PSAP depending on the wireless tower’s status
    • Wireless calls from unsubscribed phones are passed through to the PSAP