The ability to simultaneously use voice, video, and text messages represents a major advancement in emergency call management and rescue efficiency. As early as 2013, industry studies highlighted the contribution of video calls in medical emergencies. There are also examples of using social media channels for emergency management, such as the E-Citizens project, which promotes active citizen participation in reporting critical situations. Two further elements drive multimedia integration. The first is the NG112 standard for mission-critical communications, which uses 5G technology and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) to enable multimedia calls. The second is the new RTT (Real-Time Text) service, which enables real-time texting between citizens and emergency centers. Emergency calls and rescue operations are clearly moving toward Total Conversation and call digitization for reasons related to service efficiency, inclusivity of vulnerable people, and more accurate forecasting of critical situations through data analysis.
RTT and Total Conversation: current state of the art
There is a close relationship between RTT and Total Conversation. RTT is real-time texting: what is typed is visible as it is typed, not only after the message is sent, as in apps like WhatsApp. In emergency calls, the advantage of RTT is crucial: message exchange is fast, with no latency, making interaction much more effective. Accordingly, the European Union has mandated RTT service implementation in Emergency Centers by June 28, 2027. Total Conversation therefore requires RTT for the text component of calls. It should also be noted that RTT implementation can occur in two ways:
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Native service: Texting is provided by telecom operators who upgrade their infrastructure (e.g., support for SIP - Session Initiation Protocol, and RTP - Real-time Transport Protocol). The United States was the first country to implement native support in 2023.
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OTT service (Over The Top): Texting is done through software applications that use IP connections to provide RTT communication over a dedicated channel. This method has been used in several European countries starting in 2023, where native service was unavailable.
In compliance with the EU deadline for activating native RTT, Member States have set indicative dates for support availability. Regarding Total Conversation, the European Directive 2018/1972 - European Electronic Communications Code requires these services to be available and accessible for inclusivity reasons.
Total Conversation: how to implement it
The essential reference for Total Conversation service implementation is the ETSI EMTEL 103 919 standard, which describes specifications to enable interoperable and accessible emergency communications including voice, video, and contextual real-time text. Specifications also cover calling devices, telecommunication networks, PSAPs (Public Safety Answering Points), and the use of various communication media. These guidelines underpin NG112; therefore, adopting Next Generation 112 is a prerequisite for Total Conversation. Although several European countries have already implemented NG112 (such as Switzerland, Portugal, Romania, Austria, and North Macedonia), it is important to verify on a case-by-case basis whether only the core NG112 services (ESRP - Emergency Service Routing Proxy, ECRF - Emergency Call Routing Function, LIS - Location Information Server) or also advanced services are present. The latter (e.g., Real-Time Text Gateway) are necessary for native Total Conversation implementation. Without them, functionalities must be provided by applications layered on top of the basic telecom service, as with RTT. Managing emergency calls via native Total Conversation is preferable and requires involvement from national telecom operators.
From the Emergency Center directors’ perspective, the strategic plan includes both institutional activities and technical and organizational operational plans:
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Participation in institutional working groups: Emergency center leaders engage with government authorities and national telco operators to define network upgrade plans. This is routine since Emergency Centers are part of critical national infrastructure and maintain ongoing relations with institutional contacts.
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Technological infrastructure upgrades: The center must meet technological requirements for Total Conversation, including: native SIP call reception, implementation of clients (audio VoIP, video, etc.), enabled CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) platform, and availability of an RTT gateway.
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Availability of enabled devices: Though not the center’s responsibility, it is important that calling devices (smartphones) support Total Conversation. For example, video calls must work without apps like WhatsApp or FaceTime.
Total Conversation is an evolution of emergency calls that offers tangible benefits to all types of PSAPs, whether Level 1 (112) or Level 2 (Medical Emergency, Firefighters, etc.). Consider call classification: the multiple real-time information streams accelerate understanding of the context and dispatch of rescue resources. Also, giving citizens a choice of communication channel (audio, video, text) greatly facilitates interaction with operators, especially for people with hearing or speech impairments who can select the communication method best suited to their needs.
Total Conversation paves the way toward full digitization of communication and opens new scenarios for emergency calls. For example, vehicles already equipped with cameras (e.g., parking assistance) or cameras installed for emergency purposes could provide a Total Conversation or eCall emergency call with clear, comprehensive views inside and outside the vehicle. This also enables remote control: through an eCall, the emergency center could send automatic remote commands to the vehicle (opening/closing windows and doors, releasing seatbelts, etc.), speeding up or intensifying rescue operations. This paradigm shift will evolve emergency call management to benefit the entire community.
