Although an official announcement has not yet been made, SBD understands that the EC is definitely pushing ahead with legislation to mandate pan-European public eCall. Vehicle manufacturers will have to equip all newly Type Approved models with eCall from the end of 2014.This decision by the EC to mandate eCall is a highly significant development that will change the landscape of the European telematics industry. Vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, mobile network operators and national Member State governments will have to develop strategies to respond to this legislation requiring the provision of eCall emergency assistance.

The Type Approval legislation is currently being prepared by the DG Enterprise within the EC and is expected to be released this summer with enforcement due at the end of 2014, according to SBD’s research. Member States will be required by DG Move to upgrade their Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and emergency services in parallel to the requirements on vehicle manufacturers. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) will also be required by DG  Infso to provide an eCall Flag that identifies the eCall as an emergency message from a vehicle.

Expected timetable for mandating eCall 

SBD’s new report, Pan-European ecall - how should you respond to legislation, includes an analysis of the potential deployment scenarios that will follow the emergence of the mandate. These include an evaluation of the potential for delay caused by political opposition from the French and UK governments and also vehicle manufacturers such as PSA that already offer private eCall services. Vehicle manufacturers need to understand both the specific requirements of the legislation and also the new telematics environment that has been produced by the mandate. They will have to decide whether they will simply do the minimum to comply with the legislation or whether they will see the mandate as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage by offering additional telematics services or by spreading fitment across their model range.

While the new legislation will specify the use of In-Band Modem technology from Qualcomm, it is unclear if some of the solutions using Bluetooth to link the driver’s phone to the car emerging from carmakers including Ford will be permitted. In addition to this technology question, there are a number of other significant unresolved issues that need answers before successful deployment can be achieved. These unresolved issues are led by the question of whether Member States will have upgraded their PSAPs in time for the start of factory fitment in cars. Another key issue is the question of liability for the successful operation of the service. This is difficult to allocate in a complex service chain comprising the car, MNO, PSAP and emergency services. However, if a crash occurs and the eCall is not effective it will be the vehicle manufacturer that gets blamed by the consumer and the vehicle manufacturer needs to develop a strategy to respond to this.