The Critical Role of Interoperability Testing in NG911 Deployment
- Megan Shanholtz
- Dec 17, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 6
Deploying Next Generation 911 (NG911) is the single most complex technological transition any Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) will undertake. It is no longer about just upgrading a phone line; it is about integrating a "system of systems" where failure is not an option.
As the Department of War and other federal entities move to "embrace real innovation" and replace "antiquated systems", public safety must follow suit. But complexity introduces risk. This makes thorough, independent interoperability testing not just beneficial, it is mission-critical insurance.
1. Testing the Full Ecosystem (Not Just the Box)
Legacy testing often looks at individual components in isolation. But in a live environment, a router doesn't exist in a vacuum. Effective validation must simulate the entire emergency communications ecosystem.
At Netmaker Communications, we don’t just check if the lights turn on. We simulate the full lifecycle of a call:
OSP Peering: How Originating Service Providers connect to the network.
ESINet Routing: Ensuring the Emergency Services IP Network routes data correctly across borders.
PSAP Delivery: Verifying the call, data, and location arrive intact at the call-handling screen.
2. The Security Imperative: "Interoperability Without Security is Vulnerability"
In the modern threat landscape, you cannot separate connectivity from cybersecurity. A system that connects to everything but secures nothing is a liability.
This is where standard interoperability testing falls short. A robust testing regimen must include Cybersecurity-Driven Validation. This means subjecting systems to:
Vulnerability Scanning & Penetration Testing: Proactively hunting for weaknesses before bad actors do.
Compliance Baselining: validating against NIST 800-53 and DHS CISA frameworks to ensure federal-level security standards are met.
3. The Vendor Integration Challenge (CAD-to-CAD)
Most NG911 deployments are a puzzle of different vendors. You might have call handling from Vendor A and Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) from Vendor B.
Vendors test their own gear, but they rarely test the "seams" between competitors. Independent testing fills this gap. We specifically validate CAD-to-CAD interfaces using the updated NENA i3 CAD Interoperability Profile. This ensures that vital incident data and unit statuses don't just "arrive"—they populate correctly across county and state lines.
4. Finding Problems Before They Find You
The cost of fixing a bug during the design phase is pennies compared to the dollars (and reputation damage) of fixing it after deployment.
De-Risking Deployment: By validating NGCS routing, LIS/GIS data, and failover pathways in a lab, agencies can make confident procurement decisions.
Protecting Grant Funding: Documented test reports provide the "due diligence" often required by state and federal grant programs.
Bottom Line
Interoperability testing is not a "nice-to-have" checkbox. It is the only way to ensure that when a citizen dials 9-1-1, the technology fades into the background, and the response is immediate, accurate, and secure.