Text-to-9-1-1 capabilities will arrive on the networks of the "Big 4" wireless carriers in 2014 under an historic agreement reached late last week between NENA, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, and APCO. The agreement was submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which is scheduled to discuss the issue and consider further action at its upcoming meeting on December 12. 

 

The agreement does not mean that text-to-9-1-1 service will be available to all consumers by 2014; that will hinge on the deployment of hardware, software and training at the more than 6,000 9-1-1 centers across America.  

 

However, the agreement is expected to hasten the day when all Americans can call for emergency aid via text messages.

Text-to-9-1-1 capabilities are especially sought by people in the hearing and speech disabilities communities.   

Click here to read the full story.