NG eCall Plugtests 2025
Testing the Reliability of New Emergency Call Technology
From June 10 to 13, 2025, the NG eCall Plugtests took place in Bonn. Organized by ETSI and supported by Deutsche Telekom AG and the European Emergency Number Association (EENA), international manufacturers of control center technology, vehicle manufacturers, and network operators tested the new generation of the Europe-wide in-vehicle emergency call system.
NG eCall – The New Standard for Vehicle Emergency Calls
NG eCall (Next Generation eCall) is the evolution of the Europe-wide in-vehicle emergency call system that has been in use since 2017. The NG eCall regulation mandates that new types of vehicles placed on the EU market will be required to use Next Generation eCall (NG eCall) technology, which relies on 4G and 5G networks, from January 1, 2026, and all new vehicles from January 1, 2027. In the event of an accident, an emergency call is triggered automatically or manually. In addition to a voice connection, vehicle data—referred to as MSD (Minimum Set of Data)—is transmitted.
Unlike the previous eCall technology, where vehicle data was transmitted over the voice channel, NG eCall transmits this data via SIP signaling through provider networks to the control center (PSAP). This allows the vehicle data to be available at the control center as soon as the call is received, eliminating the disruption to the voice connection that occurred with the previous transmission protocol. As a result, the control center can respond more quickly and effectively.
Conducting the Plugtests in Bonn
The Plugtests were designed to validate the compatibility and reliability of NG eCall technology in end-to-end scenarios. Tests included correct transmission of MSD data, proper functioning of SIP signaling, and integration of eCall messages into control center systems. A total of 48 companies with over 100 experts participated in the tests. The participating manufacturers tested nearly 3,000 scenarios in various system configurations.
eurofunk participated in 13 test sessions, during which the integration of NG eCall technology was thoroughly examined. As a result of the successful tests, an official certificate of participation was issued, confirming system compatibility with other manufacturers and compliance with technical standards.
Requirements and Timeline
Necessary adjustments to provider networks and control centers are expected to be completed by the end of 2025. Vehicle manufacturers plan to complete the technical implementation of the Next Generation eCall technology for new model EU type approvals by the mandatory deadline starting January 1, 2026.
