TeleCommunication Systems Leads USA's Text-to-911 Rollout

ANNAPOLIS, Md., May 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) TSYS, a world leader in highly reliable and secure mobile communication technology,  today announced that it is pioneering the production deployment of  text-to-911 service in the United States. As reported by the Federal Communications Commission in its May 16, 2014 deployment tracking update, TCS accounts for 52 of the 56 agency deployments across 16 states, or 93% of the total.

TCS continues to lead interoperability efforts by working with both legacy, text service providers that use proprietary protocols, as well as next generation providers that use the standards-based MSRP protocol, in order to simplify the deployment and accelerate the adoption by Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) interested in receiving text-to-911 messages.

News Facts:

• TCS was the first to deploy text-to-911 to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) via all three methods of TTY, Direct IP using secure HTTP and next generation MSRP.
• On May 15, TCS participated in the first "Interoperable" text-to-911 production deployment, successfully connecting wireless carriers, text service providers and emergency communications centers.
• Since October of 2012, TCS customers have, on a nationwide basis, delivered text-to-911 messages to receiving PSAPs or otherwise delivered bounce-back messages. If a PSAP is not yet capable of receiving text-to-911, the carriers using the TCS solution all deliver a "bounce-back" message, informing the sender to call 9-1-1.
• The top four carriers, accounting for almost 90 percent of all wireless subscribers in the United States, are now able to support the ability to deliver SMS messages to any PSAP that has indicated its ability to receive such messages.
• States with at least one deployment of text-to-911 in production include Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia.  More than 100 additional PSAPs are currently working to implement text-to-911.
• Based on traffic year-to-date, TCS estimates that approximately 325,000 attempts to send texts to 9-1-1 will be made nationally during 2014, up from an estimated 250,000 attempts in 2013.
• TCS has worked with ATIS, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, in collaboration with TIA, the Telecommunications Industry Association, to develop and publish the standard (J-STD-110a) outlining the requirements, architecture and procedures for text messaging to 9-1-1 emergency services using native wireless operator SMS capabilities for the existing generation and NG9-1-1 PSAPs.
• This industry-accepted standard positions carriers to have a fully operational text-to-911 solution capable of delivering SMS text messages to any PSAP in the U.S., including legacy (TDM) PSAPs, IP-transitioning PSAPs and NG9-1-1 PSAPs that are NENA i3 compliant.

TCS Safety & Security Group Vice President Kent Hellebust stated: "As a U.S. leader in SMS and a global leader in location technology, TCS has been working since 2004 to bring industry participants together to advance the ability to send text messages to 9-1-1 as the first step in delivering the value of data – text, pictures, and video – during an emergency situation.  In addition to the national text-to-911 deployment that TCS is supporting, our SMS9-1-1 solutions will seamlessly transition to multimedia capabilities beyond text as the evolution to next generation 9-1-1 continues. TCS is the first to deploy text-to-911 to PSAPs via all three methods of TTY, HTTPs and MSRP, and we will continue to base our solution on the NENA standards that provide the smoothest path to interoperability and next generation functionality for PSAPs."

Supporting Resources:

• FCC Text-to-911 Deployments Tracker: http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/text-to-911-deployments.pdf
• TCS SMS9-1-1: http://www.telecomsys.com/products/public-safety/sms_911.aspx
• White Paper: TCS thought leadership on Text-to-911: A PSAP Perspective: http://info.telecomsys.com/text_to_9-1-1_psap_perspective
• Interim Text to 9-1-1 Information and Planning Guide:  http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.nena.org/resource/resmgr/Docs/SMS_Text_Info_and_Planning.pdf

Since deploying the first U.S. wireless E9-1-1 solution in 1998, TCS has been leading public safety solutions for wireless Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1), NG9-1-1 and E1-1-2. TCS supports half of all U.S. wireless E9-1-1 calls, serving more than 140 million wireless and IP-enabled devices. TCS is the only non-carrier TL 9000-certified company that supports E9-1-1 services. Its highly reliable E9-1-1 and NG9-1-1 solutions ensure that a subscriber's emergency call routes to the appropriate PSAP and automatically pinpoint the caller's location information. TCS also leads the nation in emergency services IP network (ESInet) deployments.

About TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) TSYS is a world leader in highly reliable and secure mobile communication technology. TCS infrastructure forms the foundation for market leading solutions in E9-1-1, text messaging, commercial location and deployable wireless communications. TCS is at the forefront of new mobile cloud computing services providing wireless applications for navigation, hyper-local search, asset tracking, social applications and telematics. Millions of consumers around the world use TCS wireless apps as a fundamental part of their daily lives. Government agencies utilize TCS' cyber security expertise, professional services, and highly secure deployable satellite solutions for mission-critical communications. Headquartered in Annapolis, MD, TCS maintains technical, service and sales offices around the world. To learn more about emerging and innovative wireless technologies, visit www.telecomsys.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and are based upon TCS' current expectations and assumptions that if incorrect would cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Risks include those detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, and on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2014.

Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, or otherwise.

SOURCE TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.