eCall

“eCall” is a “Pan-European in-vehicle emergency call system”. It is a system that generates an 112 emergency call after an accident. The eCall is generated automatically by on-board sensors, e.g. the airbag sensor, when a serious accident occurs. The eCall can also be generated manually by a passenger.

The eCall is made through the ordinary mobile network to the nearest emergency service (normally the nearest 112 Public Safety Answering Point, PSAP). The voice call enables the vehicle occupants to communicate with the trained eCall operator. At the same time, some data is also sent. The data includes information about the accurate position and the type of vehicle.

The accurate position is acquired by the in-vehicle eCall-system via satellite positioning.

The European Commission had called for eCall to be rolled out voluntarily across Europe by 2009 but adoption has been very slow. Therefore the European Commission has decided to take legislative action for a mandatory introduction of eCall. Manadatory implementation is foreseen for the end of 2017 or early 2018.