911 Emergency Service

• Always provide your name, phone number and details about your location.
• For a wireless 9-1-1 call, unlike a wireline-based 9-1-1 call, the emergency operator does not know your precise location until you provide this information.
• Speak clearly and stay on the line for as long as the 9-1-1 operator requires.
• Leave your handset turned on after hanging up in case the 9-1-1 operator needs to call you back.
• Calls to 9-1-1 from your wireless phone are subject to the same limitations as regular wireless calls. If you are underground or too far from a wireless network antenna, the quality of your call may be affected or you may not be able to connect to the network.
• Mobile phone service in Canada is designed for 9-1-1 calls to default to whatever wireless network is available. In other words, provided a mobile device has power and within range of any network, it may be able to make a 9-1-1 call if there is an operational cellular antenna nearby.
• Routinely check to ensure your mobile device is up to date with the latest operating software.
• Accidental and unnecessary 9-1-1 calls take up valuable emergency resources. Avoid these calls by:
  • Ensuring children who may use a mobile device are properly informed that calling 9-1-1 is only for critical emergencies
  • Locking or sleeping a mobile device before putting it down or away
  • Keeping 9-1-1 off your speed dial or contact list
  • Not attempting test calls to 9-1-1

Wireless Enhanced 9-1-1 service, also known as E9-1-1, is the primary system used in Canada to connect callers to an emergency call centre. When a Wireless E9-1-1 call is placed, the operator is provided with your wireless phone number and location of the cellular tower handling the call. This helps emergency providers respond quickly and identify the most appropriate emergency service to dispatch in that region.

Moments later, the operator is provided with more accurate location information as they receive the caller's phone number and geographic coordinates associated with the caller's approximate location. A caller's approximate location will be automatically determined using special technology enabled in the Fido network and device GPS capabilities of mobile devices.

Not all areas in Canada have 9-1-1 service. If 9-1-1 is dialed in an area that does not have the service, Fido will convert the call to local 10-digit emergency numbers where available.

• In the event of a network outage, it may still be possible to place a wireless 9-1-1 voice call or contact emergency services, depending on the nature of the service interruption.
• If you need to call 9-1-1 during a network outage, try these steps:
  • If your call is not immediately connected, wait on the line until a connection is made. If your call is not connected (i.e. “call failed” is displayed on your mobile device), hang up and wait 10 seconds before redialing. Do not immediately redial.
  • Try making your call from a different mobile device or landline phone.
  • If calling from a mobile device, try restarting it, or try using Wi-Fi calling. More information on Wi-Fi calling: Wi-Fi Calling 9-1-1 & WiFi Calling - Everything You Need to Know.
  • If you still cannot complete your emergency call, remove your SIM card and/or turn off the E-SIM in your device’s settings, and try calling 9-1-1 again. Note: Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1), a service offered to Deaf, Deafened, Hard of Hearing or Speech Impaired (DHHSI) subscribers, will not function without a SIM card.

By using Wi-Fi Calling, you acknowledge and agree to the information in this section regarding the limitations of using Wi-Fi Calling for dialing 9-1-1. If you are not comfortable with these limitations, we recommend that you not use Wi-Fi Calling, or consider an alternate means for accessing traditional 9-1-1 emergency services. We recommend you keep an alternative phone service handy to increase the reliability of your access to emergency services during any service interruption. Note: Wi-Fi Calling cannot support emergency calls made outside of Canada or the United States. Ensure you are connected to a mobile network when attempting to make an emergency call outside of Canada or the United States to be routed to the nearest emergency services. You agree to inform all people who use Wi-Fi Calling on your device of the following limitations and requirements.

Your 9-1-1 Emergency Address

 When you first turn on Wi-Fi Calling on your device, you will be asked to provide the full address for your most likely location for your device (your “9-1-1 Emergency Address”). You may only register one (1) 9-1-1 Emergency Address and it must be a location in Canada or the United States. If a U.S address is entered, it must not be used for more than six (6) months of any given calendar year. If you fail to comply with this requirement or we suspect you have provided false, inaccurate or incomplete location information, we have the right to restrict your current and/or future ability to access WiFi Calling. Fido will not, however, disable your ability to place a 9-1-1 call during any such restriction.

Placing 9-1-1 Calls

 If you dial 9-1-1 from your device using the mobile network (i.e., not using Wi-Fi Calling), your call routes automatically to the proper Public Safety Answering Point (“PSAP”) based on the location you are calling from. If you dial 9-1-1 while using Wi-Fi Calling, the call will try to route over the cellular network if it is available to complete the call as a Wireless E9-1-1 call, providing a more enhanced 9-1-1 service. When the cellular network is unavailable, your call routes to a specialized emergency call centre that will transfer your call to the correct PSAP by using the 9-1-1 Emergency Address you specified or based on the location you have provided to the 9-1-1 operator. When using Wi-Fi Calling to dial 9-1-1, you must immediately inform the 9-1-1 operator of your location (or the location of the emergency, if different) if you are able to do so. It is important that you do not hang up unless directly told to do so, and if disconnected, immediately dial 9-1-1 again. You should also be prepared to provide your call-back number to the 9-1-1 operator. If you use Wi-Fi Calling to dial 9-1-1 and the Wi-Fi connection is lost, your call to 9-1-1 will drop and the specialized emergency call centre and/or PSAP will not have any method of re-connecting with you. If this occurs, dial 9-1-1 again. If you disbale your cellular radio on your mobile device you may be prompted to enable the cellular signal to complete the 9-1-1 call. The option to enable your cellular radio to complete a 9-1-1 call as a wireless E9-1-1 call should always be selected.

Accuracy of 9-1-1 Information

You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete 9-1-1 Emergency Address and other information to Fido, and are responsible for maintaining and updating the 9-1-1 Emergency Address associated with your device. If you do not update your 9-1-1 Emergency Address and do not correctly identify the location of the emergency, 9-1-1 calls made using Wi-Fi Calling will be routed based on your previously provided 9-1-1 Emergency Address and therefore may be routed to the incorrect PSAP for the emergency location. If you are unable to speak, the dispatcher may not be able to locate you if you have failed to update your 9-1-1 Emergency Address. You may update your 9-1-1 Emergency Address in the settings section of your device. During certain periods, updates to your 9-1-1 Emergency Address may not be reflected instantly (e.g., during IT maintenance periods). When you register or update your 9-1-1 Emergency Address, it will be validated for accuracy through a Canada Post and PSAP validation service. If the validation service is not able to recognize the proposed 9-1-1 Emergency Address you provided, you will be provided with a recommendation for correction of the 9-1-1 Emergency Address. If you choose to override the recommendation, your 9-1-1 Emergency Address may not be properly validated and updated. Therefore, in the event of an emergency, it is important to immediately inform the 9-1-1 operator of your location you are calling from (or the location of the emergency, if different). It is strongly encouraged that you always have an alternate means of accessing 9-1-1.

Connection Time and Technical Difficulties

 For technical reasons, your 9-1-1 call may produce a busy signal or take longer to answer as compared to traditional 9-1-1 calls. The 9-1-1 service will not function if the internet access point and underlying Wi-Fi network is not configured correctly, does not have the bandwidth to carry a call, or if the Wi-Fi Calling feature is not functioning for any reason, including but not limited to, power outage, Wi-Fi or broadband service outage or suspension, network or internet congestion or disconnection, mobile network outage or service disconnection due to billing issues or breach of your Agreement.

Features Not Available for 9-1-1 Wi-Fi Calling

 The following features will not be available for 9-1-1 WiFi Calling: Call Transfer (you cannot transfer a 9-1-1 call or transfer another call to 9-1-1); Conference Call (a 9-1-1 call cannot be included in a conference call); and Call Forwarding (you cannot forward calls to 9- 1-1). In addition, you will not be able to put a 9-1-1 call on hold. T9-1-1 Service is not available for 9-1-1 Wi-Fi Calling (you cannot communicate with 9-1-1 operators via text message for deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired users).

Limitation of Liability

Fido and its service providers disclaim all responsibility for the conduct of PSAPs, all other third parties involved in the provision of emergency response services and any technical difficulties associated with the functioning of the 9-1-1 service. Fido and its service providers do not have any control over PSAPs and are therefore not responsible for whether they answer 9-1-1 calls made using Wi-Fi Calling, how they answer these calls, or how they handle these calls. Fido and its service providers rely on third parties to assist in the provision of 9-1-1 services, and disclaim any and all liability for acts or omissions by third parties in the provision of 9-1-1 services. Neither Fido nor its service providers, officers or employees may be held liable for any claim, damage, or loss (including, without limitation, legal fees) by, or on behalf of, you or any third-party user of Fido’ 9-1-1 dialing capability.

Text with 9-1-1 (T9-1-1) is a service offered to Deaf, Deafened, Hard of Hearing or Speech Impaired (DHHSI) subscribers at no additional charge.

T9-1-1 allows you to communicate with an emergency service operator by using text messages after you dial 9-1-1.

To learn more of where T911 is available and how to register, please go to: https://www.fido.ca/consumer/accessibility/t911.

Table below sets out the government 9-1-1 monthly fees, applicable to all customers on a monthly plan with an invoice as well as to prepaid customers. No airtime charges apply to calls made to 9-1-1 from your Fido phone.

In addition to these government 9-1-1 monthly fees, Fido customers on a monthly plan with an invoice offered prior to November 4, 2008, as well as all prepaid customers, pay a 75¢ monthly Emergency Access Fee (non-government fee). This fee is charged to provide our customers with access to emergency services, it is not a government fee or a tax.