ARCHIVED - Telecom - Commission Letter - 8698-C12-13/01 - Enhanced 9-1-1 WirelessTrial - Province of Ontario

Letter

Ottawa, 16 February 2001

Mr. Tom Voisey
c/o Peel Regional Police
Telecommunications Systems and Services
7750 Hurontario Street
Brampton, Ontario
L6V 3W6

Dear Mr. Voisey,

Subject: Enhanced 9-1-1 Wireless Trial - Province of Ontario

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is in receipt of your letter of 16 January 2001 regarding the upcoming E9-1-1 field trial in the province of Ontario. It is understood that trial participants, including Regional Municipality of York, City of Toronto, wireless service providers, Bell Canada, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association and a representative of Quebec municipalities, propose to use NXX 5-1-1 as part of a non-dialable number, to assist in identifying cell site information to municipal PSAPs. Although the trial participants anticipate that a proposal will be made to the numbering committee to reserve NXX 5-1-1, there is concern that this process will take some time and absent an interim policy decision, assignment of these numbers for other purposes may happen, which would result in limitations to the trial.

The Ontario 9-1-1 Advisory Board, is seeking a policy decision to reserve NXX 5-1-1 for Emergency Service Routing Digits (ESRD) and request that the Commission take whatever interim steps are necessary to prevent the assignment of NXX 5-1-1 in NPAs 416, 647, 905 and 289 until such time as contributions can be developed, submitted to the numbering committee.

During the field trial, when a customer dials 9-1-1 from a wireless phone in the trial area, the PSAP will receive both the wireless customer's 10-digit telephone number as well as the ESRD. The Commission understands that ESRDs must be 10-digits in length, in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) format (e.g., NXX-NXX-XXXX). Since the ESRDs are non-dialable and do not trigger routing, any string of digits in the NANP format may be used. In this instance, the 5-1-1 digits would data fill a "pseudo NXX" field in the D-E-F positions of a NANP-like 10-digit ESRD.

As you may be aware the Commission has recently initiated a public proceeding to examine issues relating to the assignment of the remaining N-1-1 service codes. It is noted that service code 5-1-1 is currently reserved and may be assigned in the future. It is understood however that the assignment of 5-1-1 as a service code will not conflict in any way with the use of 5-1-1 as proposed by the field trial participants, as a pseudo NXX, as ESRDs are non-dialable and do not trigger any routing.

With regard to the request that NXX 5-1-1 be reserved to avoid assignment of this resource to other purposes, it is noted that the assignment guidelines - which have been approved by the Commission prohibit the assignment of codes in the N-1-1 format as either a 3-digit NPA or a 3-digit Central Office in a 10-Digit NANP telephone number. As noted, these N-1-1 codes are used across the NANP as 3-digit service codes (e.g., 4-1-1, 6-1-1 and, 9-1-1). Accordingly, based on existing policy, there need be no concern that 5-1-1 will be assigned as a central office code within Canadian NPAs. Moreover, given that the ESRD would not trigger any network routing, and that the use of NXX 5-1-1 as part of the ESRD would not impact or preclude any future use of NXX 5-1-1 as a service access code, there is nothing to preclude the use of NPA -5-1-1 - XXXX as ESRDs in Canada.

In light of the above, there is no objection to the proposed use of NXX 511 in the pseudo NXX field of ESRDS and considers that there is no need for any further action on the part of the CRTC. Should you have any questions, please contact Brenda Stevens at 819-953-8882.

Regards,

Shirley Soehn
Executive Director
CRTC Telecom Branch