eCall systems are systems incorporated into vehicles which automatically contact the emergency services over the mobile phone network if the vehicle has been involved in a road traffic accident.In the European Union, the fitment of eCall systems to M1 and N1 category vehicles, i.e. passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, pick ups, vans and light trucks, has been mandatory since March 31, 2018.
At the time when the EU Regulations on eCall were first developed, 2G and 3G mobile phone networks were in common use across the European Union and, hence, the EU Regulations required the fitment of eCall systems which were designed to operate over 2G/3G networks.Since that time, technology has evolved and now 4G and 5G networks are commonplace across Europe.This technological evolution has now reached a point where many European countries are now planning to switch off their 2G and 3G mobile phone networks in next few years.
To address this impending situation, on April 19, 2024, an updated EU Regulation on eCall was published.This new EU Regulation, (EU) 2024/1180, amends the existing EU Regulation on eCall, (EU) 2015/758, to require the fitment of 4G/5G compatible eCall systems.The mandatory fitment of 4G/5G compatible eCall systems will become mandatory for new types of M1 and N1 category vehicle from January 1, 2026 and for all new M1 and N1 category vehicles from January 1, 2027.
(EU) 2024/1180 and a consolidated version of (EU) 2015/758, incorporating the amendments introduced by (EU) 2024/1180, are available on InterRegs.NET for our EC subscribers, and are also available at SelectRegs.