Instant response

In developed countries, when computerized telephone systems were introduced, modern communications underwent a transformation. In many towns in the U.S., for instance, a system called “enhanced 911” was installed. This number 911 has to be dialed in an emergency for the caller to summon help.

With enhanced 911, a telephone company is now able to trace the originating number of the call and the caller’s address instantly even without the caller saying a word. This automatic system can immediately identify and convert numbers into addresses even when the callers are unable to say where they are calling from. The system’s computer is so efficient that after tracing the call, it can determine whether the emergency relates to the city’s police, fire, or ambulance departments.

In Orlando, Florida, a panic-stricken woman caller dialed 911 but could not say a word before hanging up. Gunshots, however, were clearly audible. Within minutes cars were on their way to the correct address and the culprit—an enraged gun-toting relative of the woman’s—was apprehended.