Two people can be less than 100 metres apart and still be difficult for the same response team to reach: one is on the opposite carriageway of a boulevard, while the other is in an apartment building whose entrance is on an internal alley. A map may show the same area. But the response depends on the detail that turns an area into a route.
When you call 112, your phone may find the area. You need to explain how responders can reach you.
This does not diminish the role of automatic location. On the contrary, it can be essential when a person is injured, disoriented or unable to speak. But if you can communicate, the address, entrance, direction of travel or a visible landmark can shorten the part that no map position can guarantee: practical access to the incident.
If you have 10 seconds to speak
Do not wait to phrase things perfectly, and do not try to check whether your phone can “see” you correctly. Call, answer the operator’s questions and, as far as you can, convey three things:
- What happened: an accident, fire, unconscious person, assault or another emergency.
- Where the access point is: the street and number, entrance, gate, direction of travel, road kilometre marker or the route the response team needs to take.
- What landmark confirms the location: a petrol station, bridge, intersection, pharmacy, shop or the last reliable landmark on the route.
This is not a formula that replaces a conversation with the operator. It is a useful order of thinking when time or the ability to speak is limited.
What automatic location can do — and what it does not promise
In mobile networks, providers must transmit primary location information, such as Cell-ID/Sector-ID, when every 112 call begins. For phones capable of generating a location from the device, the legal framework also provides for the possibility of transmitting it within a maximum of 20 seconds from the start of the call.
This 20-second limit describes an obligation to transmit information under the specified technical conditions. It does not mean that every call will produce, within that interval, an exact point that is available and sufficient for every situation on the ground.
European rules correctly treat the issue as a combination of accuracy and reliability: how large the search area is and how often an appropriate location can be provided. They provide for the complementary use of network- and device-based location, precisely for cases in which one method is insufficient or unavailable. The usefulness of the accuracy can vary, including between urban and rural areas.
What public data shows: real progress, not a guaranteed address
A 2024 government explanatory note provides the most concrete public set of technical results identified for Romania. It concerns a sample analysed in regulatory documentation, not an independent audit of all 112 calls or a current national indicator.
In that sample, after the location solutions were combined, the radius of the search area was under 100 metres in 59.65% of calls, under 300 metres in 71.20%, and under 560 metres in 89.59%.
| Result in the 2024 technical sample | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Under 100 m: 59.65% | May narrow the search considerably, but in a complex of buildings it may still leave several possible entrances. |
| Under 300 m: 71.20% | May include several buildings, side streets or access ramps. |
| Under 560 m: 89.59% | May provide an important clue when the caller cannot describe the location. |
The same document indicates a 93.82% success rate for network-determined location and 58.81% for AML in the sample analysed. The useful message for the public is not that one method alone “solves” the issue, but that the methods complement each other: a location may arrive through the network when another is not received.
In a study published by ANCOM on 8 July 2026, almost 90% of mobile phones active at the end of 2025 had AML functionality. This is information on capable devices, as reported by operators; it is not a published rate of 112 calls successfully located, nor a promise of identical accuracy for every call.
The map may show the area. It does not guarantee access.
A technical position may be very good and still not resolve the situation on the ground by itself. This is not because the map is useless, but because a response needs information that location cannot confirm reliably.
- In an apartment building: the stairwell, floor, apartment, gate or rear access.
- On a road with separated carriageways: direction of travel, kilometre marker, lane or nearby exit.
- In open terrain: the route taken, the last reliable landmark, a bridge, barrier or intersection.
- In hard-to-access areas: a passable road, an internal alley, a locked gate or an entrance from another street.
That is why “I’m near the park” is less useful than “X Street, entrance from the alley next to Y Pharmacy”. And “I’m on the national road, after the bridge” becomes much more valuable if you add the direction of travel and the nearby town or intersection.
If you cannot speak, call anyway
Automatic location is especially important when communication is impossible or incomplete. A person who is injured, frightened or disoriented can, simply by placing the call, transmit technical information that helps narrow the search.
Do not turn the limits of technology into a reason to hesitate. In an emergency, call immediately. If you can speak, answer the operator and add the details you can verify. If you cannot, the call may still be vital.
Key takeaway
Location does not compete with a description of the place; it complements it. The phone may provide a search area. The caller can provide what turns that area into a more direct response: access, direction and a landmark.
In the same context, see also Lost or stolen phone: the order that protects your data on Android and iPhone, which provides additional relevant information.
Do not test 112 to see how accurately your phone can locate you. Use the number only for genuine emergencies.
Frequently asked questions
Does my phone automatically send my location when I call 112?
The system may receive location information from the network and, for capable devices, location derived from the phone. Availability and accuracy may vary, so it is useful to provide details about access when you can communicate.
Do I have to give the address before anything else?
There is no universal formula that can replace the operator’s questions. Call immediately, answer clearly and provide the location as soon as possible in a form useful to the response team: an address, entrance, direction of travel, kilometre marker or verifiable landmark.
What does the 20-second limit for 112 location mean?
The legal framework provides for location generated by capable devices to be transmitted within a maximum of 20 seconds from the start of the call. This is a technical transmission deadline, not a guarantee that every call will have an exact or usable position within that interval.
What is useful to say if I do not know the address?
Say only what you can verify: the road, direction of travel, nearby town or intersection, kilometre marker or milestone, the last reliable landmark and any details about access. Do not guess the address.
If my phone has AML, is every 112 call successfully located?
Not necessarily. ANCOM’s AML data measure the share of active devices with this functionality. They do not represent a published national rate of 112 calls for which location was received and could be used successfully.
Sources consulted
- ANCOM Decision No. 1023/2008 on the provision of communications to the National Single Emergency Call System — consolidated version
- Explanatory note on accuracy and reliability criteria for determined location information
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/444 on effective access to emergency services through 112
- ANCOM: 9 in 10 phones in Romania enable rapid location of 112 callers
- 112 Call Emergency! — Be Prepared
