How does 911 work when you call from your cell phone?

Modern cell phones use what we call E-911. E911 relies on the GPS system in your phone to transmit accurate position information back to the dispatch center. It should be noted that this isn't a continuous, real time GPS update, but rather a polled system that only delivers location data once every few minutes. read more

Any phone that turns on and can receive a signal is capable of making a 911 call. Important: if the phone you're using isn't activated, there isn't a phone number assigned to it. That means if you're disconnected from the dispatch center, you must call 911 back. read more

When you call 911 you actually aren't using your T-mobile/ATT/Whatever service. When using this service it tries to connect to 3 towers which triangulate your location. This triangulation however depends on the phone. read more

Tips for 911 calling. Consumers making a 911 call from a wireless phone should remember the following: Tell the emergency operator the location of the emergency right away. Provide the emergency operator with your wireless phone number, so if the call gets disconnected, the emergency operator can call you back. read more