Hybrid eCall Certification for Automotive Emergency Call Systems

Keysight Technologies has received hybrid eCall certification from DEKRA in accordance with the EN 18052:2025 standard. This validation confirms the functionality of the company's end-to-end test solution designed for transitioning In-Vehicle Systems (IVS) to packet-switched 4G and 5G networks.

Network Transition and Dynamic Switching
With the progressive sunsetting of legacy 2G and 3G infrastructures, modern In-Vehicle Systems (IVS) must operate reliably in mixed network environments. The certified hybrid eCall solution addresses this requirement by enabling vehicle architectures to switch dynamically between traditional, circuit-switched emergency call systems and Next-Generation eCall (NG-eCall) systems depending on regional network availability.

Validation Scenarios and Interoperability
The certification covers various real-world scenarios for the safety ecosystem, which encompasses the IVS, cellular networks, and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). The tested parameters include rapid connection setup, voice communication stability, and network fallback between NG-eCall and legacy environments. Additionally, the system ensures the error-free transmission of the Minimum Set of Data (MSD) – which consists of vehicle position and telemetry data. The system is deployed within the framework of the ETSI NG-eCall Plugtests 2026 for cross-vendor interoperability testing.

Additional Context: This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original announcement.
The transition to NG-eCall over 4G LTE (VoLTE) and 5G relies on IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) routing, which fundamentally changes how the Minimum Set of Data (MSD) is transmitted. While legacy 2G/3G eCall systems transmit the MSD over the voice channel using an in-band modem, NG-eCall executes this transfer via Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling. Testing these functionalities requires the simultaneous simulation of complex SIP/IMS core networks, cellular base stations, and PSAP servers. Competitors such as Rohde & Schwarz (with their CMW500 platform) and Anritsu offer similar eCall emulators. The EN 18052:2025 standard specifically addresses the critical "hybrid" edge case: a vehicle must reliably fall back to a traditional in-band modem call during a failed SIP-based NG-eCall attempt if the 4G/5G network drops or lacks VoLTE emergency support. This represents a crucial compliance metric for automotive manufacturers to avoid liability risks in regions with fragmented network modernization.

Edited by Lekshman Ramdas, Induportals Editor – adapted by AI.

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