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Texting To Be Included In State's New 911 System

Massachusetts will soon have a new 911 system that allows the use of mobile texting, video and Web-based information platforms to make emergency communication more efficient.

The transition from the current 911 system to the Next Generation 9-1-1 system will take place over the next two years, according to a release from state public safety officials.

"The telecommunications market place has undergone continuous evolution but our technological core that supports 911 has largely remained unchanged since its introduction in 1968," Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral said in the statement. "Our new challenge is based in the reality that we must adapt to a changing world of information gathering and sharing. This circumstance demands a new system be put in place that comports to the methods used to communicate now and into the future."

The state has contracted with General Dynamics Information Technology to create the Next Generation 9-1-1 system. The new system will introduce technology that allows the state's 249 Public Safety Answering Points, which serve as the first point of reception for emergency calls, to receive notifications from any voice, text, telemetry or image-based device, and provides the foundation for future public safety communications, the release said.

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