Romania, first European country to implement eCall which allows car device to call emergency line after crash

The infrastructure for the emergency service eCall, which allows a device in the car to call the emergency number immediately after an accident, is ready in Romania. Drivers in Romania have been able to use the service since January 2013, all they needed was the special device installed in their car. The country is thus the first in Europe to have this infrastructure ready, according to the Special Telecommunications Service (STS). The service, which also runs the national system for the emergency line 112, modernized its infrastructure so as to include the eCall, the new pan-european car emergency call service. The device installed in the car, estimated upon launch of the project in 2011 to cost less than EUR 100, automatically calls the emergency number when an accident happens, and sends relevant data about the location, and technical data of the cars involved in the accident. This would allow emergency services to step in also when passengers are unable to talk. The European Commission asked for the eCall system to become fully functional by 2015 across the entire EU, as well as in Croatia, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland. More about the eCall project here. The STS is hosting a conference on November 21 and 22 in Bucharest, showcasing the country's eCall service to project partners in 18 countries and to over 200 specialists in the car industry, telecom and insurance companies in 40 countries, as well as officials from the European parliament and European Commission. editor@romania-insider.com