As of 17 March 2022, all smartphones placed in the European single market should be leveraging Galileo signals, in addition to other Global Navigation Satellite Systems. The addition of the EU positioning system to enhance the 112-calls location will result in faster response times and consequently, more lives saved.
The European 112-emergency number is operational in nearly all EU Member States, as well as other countries. People in danger can call it 24/7 to reach the fire brigade, medical assistance and the police.
The majority of phone calls to the 112-emergency number are placed from mobile phones. These calls already support the sending of location information to emergency services. However, this information was not based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) capabilities until recently.
Three years ago, the Commission Delegated Regulation anticipated measures to get advantage of GNSS and WiFi location capabilities in smartphones placed on the European Union market from 17 March 2022 onward. This will enable smartphones to transfer caller location information from GNSS (at least Galileo) to the appropriate emergency service.