Next Generation 911

North Carolina NextGen 911 Dashboard

See the status of 911 systems connecting to Next Generation 911.

What Next Generation 911 Is

The N.C. 911 Board completed a years-long effort to modernize the state’s 911 network to Next Generation 911 by transitioning to AT&T’s Emergency Services Internet Protocol Network, or ESInet, with the final board-funded public safety answering point, or PSAP, connecting in February 2024.

Connecting to a NextGen 911 network helps ensure everyone in North Carolina can quickly reach emergency services. The transition to NextGen 911 began in November 2018, when the City of Durham 911 became the first PSAP in the state to connect to the ESInet utilizing a hosted call handling solution.

NextGen 911 allows for the secure routing of 911 call information – including voice and data – to the appropriate PSAP based on the caller’s geographic location. It also provides the ability for PSAPs across the state to serve in a backup capacity for others in the event of a natural or human-made disaster or if a PSAP is inundated with emergency calls and needing assistance with answering 911 calls.

Benefits

  • NextGen 911 provides the state with a resilient and robust 911 system to ensure if callers are able to dial 911, they are able to connect to a trained telecommunicator to receive the help they need.
  • Call routing is based on the caller's GPS location, delivering more accurate and reliable caller location information than on the previous legacy 911 system.
  • Ability to load balance 911 call traffic between multiple PSAPs during emergencies and other high call volume situations.

Geospatial Call Routing

As part of the transition to NG911, the N.C. 911 Board partnered with GeoComm to assist with aggregating a statewide geodatabase for accurate 911 call routing. The ESInet uses local GIS data as the authoritative source for caller location information to direct 911 call data to the appropriate PSAP. This critical data is updated monthly by the locality’s GIS authority to ensure accurate caller and responder location information.

Network Monitoring & Assistance Center

North Carolina was the first state in the country to implement a Network Monitoring and Assistance Center to provide health and activity monitoring of the NextGen 911 network and assist PSAPs with navigating technical issues with call handling equipment and data analytics as the staff liaises with the board’s contractual vendor partners. The NMAC is staffed 24/7 by tier I and tier II technicians and is accessible to PSAPs by calling a toll-free number or via email.

NMAC technicians also assist with coordination between the PSAPs and vendor partners in the event a PSAP must have 911 calls transferred to another PSAP due to inclement weather or being inundated with more calls than the PSAP staff can effectively manage. These transfers are automatic and instantaneous, resulting in callers receiving the help they need in their times of crisis. 

Regional Coordinators

PSAP staff with questions about Next Generation 911 system may contact their N.C. 911 Board regional coordinator.

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