Imagine you're attending the FIFA World Cup in the U.S.—a celebration of cultures, languages, and nations coming together. But amid the cheers, chants, and cultural fusion, you witness someone collapse, and instinctively you call 911. But your phone number is an international phone number. What happens next might surprise you.

This is not a theoretical scenario. For emergency communication centers (ECCs), handling calls from international numbers during large-scale events has become a critical blind spot in our current 911 infrastructure. And as cities gear up to host massive global events like the FIFA World Cup, parades, or international festivals, it’s a challenge we can’t afford to ignore.

The Hidden Risk of International Numbers in 911 Calls

During a recent conversation between RapidDeploy’s VP of Marketing and the Chief Innovation Officer at North Central Texas 9-1-1, an interesting discussion emerged: international numbers present systemic problems for U.S. emergency response infrastructure.

Here’s why:

• Foreign numbers appear “uninitialized” to call-takers in the ECC. That is, they show up in the 911 system similarly to devices without a SIM card or those using Wi-Fi calling without a voice plan. In practice, this means the emergency call shows no caller ID and no service provider.
  
  
• No call-back number is available in the Call Handling Equipment (CHE). If the call drops, telecommunicators cannot reconnect with the caller, which can be a life-threatening limitation.
  
  
• Location accuracy is compromised. CHEs typically display the cell tower location, not the caller's actual location. For someone unfamiliar with their surroundings, especially in large crowds or at a massive arena with hundreds or thousands of people, this can add dangerous delays.
  
  
• Text-to-911 fails. Many U.S. ECCs simply cannot deliver or receive texts from international numbers. To add to the challenge, callers receive no indication that their message didn’t go through. In a recent incident, a failure message didn’t appear until the caller returned to their home country.
  
  
• ECCs are unable to dial international numbers back. This is not a technical glitch but a systemic design issue rooted in current call handling policies and routing mechanisms.

Why Calling 911 from International Numbers Becomes a Crisis at Major Events

This technical disconnect becomes a public safety hazard when you scale it to the size and diversity of global events. The FIFA World Cup is projected to bring millions of international visitors to the U.S. The majority will rely on their foreign mobile carriers and phone numbers.

In emergency scenarios:

• These visitors may not know their precise location.
  
  
• They may not speak English, adding a language barrier to the technical one.
  
  
• If a call fails, responders have no way to call back or text.
  
  

The result? Potentially thousands of emergency calls that can’t be properly identified, located, or followed up on—putting lives at risk.

Interested in learning more about managing the complexities of emergency response during live events? Download RapidDeploy's Ebook.

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How Next Generation 911 Solutions Like Radius Mapping Fill the Gap

Thankfully, this isn't a problem without a solution. Next Generation 911 (NG911) technologies, like RapidDeploy's Radius Mapping, can help address this issue.

Radius Mapping operates as an over-the-top (OTT) solution, independent of the limitations of the legacy 911 core infrastructure. Here’s how it solves the problem:

• Device-Level Location: Radius Mapping can obtain the location directly from the device, not just the nearest cell phone tower, offering precise location positioning even when the CHE fails.
  
  
• Call-Back Number Visibility: Radius Mapping displays the caller’s number, even international ones, by bypassing the traditional telephony routing systems.
  
  
• Integrated Multimedia Tools: ECCs can send text messages, request live video streams, and issue location-sharing links that international users can respond to, enabling instant two-way communication in real-time.
  
  
• Language-Aware Tools: OTT platforms are better suited to incorporate AI-driven language detection and translation, which can be layered into real-time workflows during large events.

In essence, Radius Mapping acts as a translator and amplifier for outdated 911 systems, ensuring ECCs can see, hear, and respond to every caller, regardless of their cell phone’s origin.

With major global events on the horizon, addressing this challenge is not only an operational upgrade, but also a critical matter of public safety and international accountability. Cities within the U.S., and especially those that host live, large events with complex emergency response challenges, must be able to serve all people within its borders who dial 911 for help, not just those with domestic phone numbers.

Without addressing these challenges, public safety agencies may face operational gaps during critical incidents. More importantly, it can impact the reliability and inclusivity of our emergency response system, especially in situations involving international visitors.

Want to dive deeper into the topic of how to keep callers safe? Download our 2-page guide to learn more.

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A Call to Action for ECCs and Public Safety Agencies

If you are a leader in public safety, now is the time to audit your systems:

• Can your ECC receive texts from international numbers?
  
  
• Do your call-takers know how to handle “uninitialized” calls?
  
  
• Do you have over-the-top tools like Radius Mapping in place to recover location and initiate contact when traditional systems fail?

As emergency response continues to evolve, it’s important to build systems that are both flexible and inclusive. With large international events on the horizon, ensuring that 911 systems can support a wide range of callers, regardless of their phone number or location, will help responders serve communities more effectively and equitably.