In 2021 Norway introduced a new system for finding the position of those who call the emergency number.
The Advanced Mobile Location (AML) solution is used in many countries around the world, and can provide much more accurate location than localization through the mobile network.
This means that emergency services can find out where you are more quickly, and can instead use valuable time to provide health advice or get other important information.
This solution works on the vast majority of smartphones. But if you’re a foreign tourist in Norway, or a Norwegian abroad, it’s even worse.
AML works on both Android phones and iPhones, but Apple chose not to Include AML in its solution for Roaming.
As a result, emergency centers often have to track down foreign tourists using iPhones the old-fashioned way, using the mobile phone network.
The same also applies to Norwegians who go abroad with an iPhone.
It can have a huge impact on how quickly emergency crews find you.
– It is very important that we get a solution
The mountains in Troms are a popular destination for foreign tourists. But in the winter, this is an avalanche-prone area.
At the beginning of this year’s Easter, there were many events. Within a day, four people lost their lives.
In one case, where five Italian tourists were hit by an avalanche, the rescue team went to the top of the wrong mountain.
This often happens, according to Freud Hansen of the Red Cross Lingen.
– On our part, it is very important that we have a solution so that they can be located quickly when people from outside contact them. In the past four events, we’ve struggled with positioning. Then the patient’s clock starts ticking really fast, he told NTB.
They often struggle to find jobs for foreign ski tourists, says the expert in charge of avalanches at the Lingen Red Cross, Frode Hansen.
Photo: Simen Wingstad/NRK
Stian Pettersen is the acting head of the Operations Department of the Troms Police District. He confirms that they have had instances of not receiving AML tracking on foreign tourists, but they don’t have numbers on how often this happens.
– We also have other solutions, but it can get tricky here when you get unknown aliens locally, he says.
According to Petersen, those working in the operations center have good local knowledge and are well trained to locate people even without AML.
– Our experience is that we figure out where people are anyway, but with AML it’s faster. He says it’s a useful tool
Anti-money laundering is a useful tool, says Stian Petersen, Acting Head of the Operational Department of the Troms Police District.
Photo: police
inaccuracy of several kilometers
Shares of the National Telecommunications Authority (Ncom) Concern expressed by the Red Cross.
According to the senior advisor, Johannes Myhre Walliswerd, often provides anti-money laundering tracking Location diagram less than ten meters.
Without AML, there can be inaccuracies of several kilometres.
– We don’t think that’s a good solution, and we’ve made that clear to Apple. Especially in Norway with our nature and all the tourists who come here, he says.
Vallesverd says they have a good dialogue with Apple both nationally and internationally.
But according to Vallesverd, Apple does not want to do this, as they are waiting to introduce the next generation of emergency calling.
– It’s great that they’re focused on the future situation, but there’s an intermediate period here that we’re worried about and we want them to take it hard, he says.
It’s hard to say for sure when the new technology will be used, according to Walliswerd.
– It may be too early to say when it will arrive. It’s also part of the problem that it’s not obvious. And he says Apple knows that.
NRK has repeatedly attempted to obtain comment from Apple on this matter, but has not provided comment.
Johannes Myhre Walliswerd, senior advisor at Nkom, says they are in close dialogue with Apple to improve AML functionality in roaming.
Photo: National Telecommunications Authority
– It has no rules to adopt yet
Nkom discussed the issue of missing AML on iPhones with the European Emergency Numbers Association, EENA.
– But we don’t have rules that go so far that we can force anything on Apple yet anyway, Valliswerd says.
Nkom also recently had an examination of an emergency call service in Norway. I did there Just under 300 test calls from various phones, watches and subscriptions.
This report is now being finalized, and they hope the findings will contribute to improving emergency call quality.
Some of the things disclosed have already been reported and corrected by the service providers, who are under Nkom’s supervisory authority.
– We look at whether they follow the regulations, and in general it looks good. But of course there are things that could be improved, says Walliswerd.
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