RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina's 911 system is getting a technology boost that will allow all local emergency centers to communicate with each other and lays groundwork for dispatchers one day receiving video and photos from texting callers.
The state's 911 Board has entered into a seven-year, $99 million contract with AT&T to upgrade what's considered the communications backbone of the state's 117 primary 911 centers. The Department of Information Technology says the new high-speed connections will allow centers to easily take calls from other jurisdictions during emergencies.
The state says all call centers should be linked by 2020 through the AT&T contract taking effect last Friday. There's no timeline on the photo and video capability.
The 911 upgrades are paid through a 60-cent monthly fee on mobile and landline phone devices.
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