merrion street

The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten TD is pleased to confirm that Ireland’s emergency call answering service (ECAS) has been successfully upgraded so its infrastructure is capable of handling eCall communications.

From today (March 31st) under EU law all new models of cars sold must be equipped with eCall technology.

eCall is an emergency call generated either manually by the occupants inside the car by pushing a button or automatically through activation of sensors inside the car following a crash. 

The data transmitted contains information about the incident including time, precise location, vehicle type, and an indication whether the eCall has been manually or automatically triggered.

When activated in Ireland, the in-vehicle eCall device will establish an emergency call carrying both voice and data directly to the Emergency Call Answering Service who will transfer the call to the required emergency service. Where no voice is carried on the call, eCall technology allows for the data to be transferred directly to the National Ambulance Service.

Minister Denis Naughten said: "eCall is the latest in a series of recent enhancements to the emergency call answering service which has included the incorporation of Eircodes and the launch last October of Advanced Mobile Location. I am confident that eCall technology will save lives by helping the emergency services quickly establish the precise location of road accidents and dispatch emergency personnel to motorists in need across the country.”

Note to Editors.

Under Regulation (EU) 2015/758 of the European Parliament and Council, from 31 March 2018 eCall will be a requirement in all new car models in the EU. 

eCall is a system that provides an automated message to the emergency services following a road crash which includes the precise crash location. The in-vehicle eCall is an emergency call generated either manually by the vehicle occupants by pushing a button or automatically via activation of in-vehicle sensors after a crash. When activated, the in-vehicle eCall device will establish an emergency call carrying both voice and data directly to the nearest emergency services (the Emergency Call Answering Service in Ireland). The voice call enables vehicle occupants to communicate with the trained eCall operator. At the same time, a minimum set of data will be sent to the eCall operator receiving the voice call even in circumstances where no occupant is in a position speak. The data transmitted contains information about the incident including time, precise location, vehicle type, and an indication whether the eCall has been manually or automatically triggered.