Dallas-based AT&T Inc. has announced a major upgrade for 911 agencies’ networks that will provide them with a state-of-the-art, flexible system with call-routing services.

In a release, the tech giant said that AT&T ESInet is aimed at accelerating the adoption of Next Generation 911 call routing, and that it meets the late standards for National Emergency Number Association (NENA), which has more than 9,000 members and 48 chapters across the nation and around the globe.

It’s the type of innovation that could help save lives and reduce the impact of disasters to a community.

The company said it expects the new service to be available in the second half of this year.

AT&T said that the upgrade will enable agencies to better manage 911 calls and automatically handle any overflow of calls between Public Safety Answering Points and disaster recovery locations.

And, unlike the current voice-only systems, AT&T ESInet can handle texts.

AT&T said that in the future, the system will be able to support pictures and video, which will help responding agencies have more detailed information about the scene of an accident, a fire or a disaster, or any types of emergencies. That will enable the agencies to send the appropriate equipment to the scene more quickly.

“The deployment of AT&T ESInetTM will be a critical step towards Next Generation 911 implementation,” Brian Fontes, chief executive officer of NENA said in a release.

AT&T said that it was deploying West Corp.’s technologies into its own central offices and data centers over the next 18 months in support of the new service.

“This industry-leading service shows our commitment to the future of 9-1-1 and Public Safety”, said Jim Bugel, vice president, AT&T Public Safety Solutions. “The complexity of NextGen 911 call routing has been a large barrier to adoption. AT&T ESInet is a nationwide service that will simplify the transition to 911 IP call routing services.”

West Technologies is a leading provider of 911 technology that has worked with AT&T to develop the upgraded system.

“Together, we’ve developed powerful 911 technology that will significantly improve performance and reliability of emergency communications into the future,” said Dami Hummel, senior vice president of strategic marketing and product management in West Technology’s Safety Services division.

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