ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)

Emergency Communications (EMTEL); Interoperability testing of core elements for network independent access to emergency services

DTS/EMTEL-00038

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Technical Committee: EMTEL - Emergency Communications
• Current Stage: 12 - Completion
• Due Date: 20-Mar-2026
• Completion Date: 20-Mar-2026

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Emergency Communications (EMTEL);
Interoperability testing of core elements for
network independent access to emergency services

2 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)

Reference
DTS/EMTEL-00038
Keywords
chat, emergency services, location
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ETSI
3 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 7
Foreword . 7
Modal verbs terminology . 7
Executive summary . 7
Introduction . 8
1 Scope . 9
2 References . 9
2.1 Normative references . 9
2.2 Informative references . 10
3 Definition of terms, symbols and abbreviations . 10
3.1 Terms . 10
3.2 Symbols . 10
3.3 Abbreviations . 10
4 Conventions . 12
4.1 Test Description Pro forma . 12
4.2 Interoperable Functions Statement . 12
5 Configurations and Interfaces . 13
5.1 ESInet . 13
5.1.1 General . 13
5.1.2 Architecture . 13
5.1.3 Interfaces. 13
5.2 VoIP . 14
5.2.1 General . 14
5.2.2 Architecture . 15
5.2.3 Interfaces. 15
5.3 IMS . 16
5.3.1 General . 16
5.3.2 Architecture . 16
5.3.3 Interfaces. 17
5.4 PSTN/PABX . 18
5.4.1 General . 18
5.4.2 Architecture . 18
5.4.3 Interfaces. 18
5.5 AML . 19
5.5.1 General . 19
5.5.2 Architecture . 19
5.5.3 Interfaces. 20
6 Data Sets . 20
6.1 General . 20
6.2 PSAP service regions . 20
6.3 Test locations . 21
6.4 Domain Name System . 22
7 Test Descriptions . 23
7.1 Location . 23
7.1.1 Location-By-Value (VoIP) . 23
7.1.1.1 General . 23
7.1.1.2 Description . 23
7.1.1.3 Message Sequence Chart . 24
7.1.2 Location-By-Value (IMS) . 24
7.1.2.1 General . 24
7.1.2.2 Description . 25
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4 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
7.1.2.3 Message Sequence Chart . 26
7.1.3 Location-By-Value (PSTN/PABX) . 26
7.1.3.1 General . 26
7.1.3.2 Description . 27
7.1.3.3 Message Sequence Chart . 28
7.1.4 Location-By-Reference (VoIP) . 28
7.1.4.1 General . 28
7.1.4.2 Description . 29
7.1.4.3 Message Sequence Chart . 30
7.1.5 Location-By-Reference (IMS) . 31
7.1.5.1 General . 31
7.1.5.2 Description . 31
7.1.5.3 Message Sequence Chart . 32
7.1.6 Location-By-Reference (PSTN/PABX) . 32
7.1.6.1 General . 32
7.1.6.2 Description . 33
7.1.6.3 Message Sequence Chart . 34
7.1.7 Advanced-Mobile-Location (HTTPS) . 34
7.1.7.1 General . 34
7.1.7.2 Description . 35
7.1.7.3 Message Sequence Chart . 36
7.1.8 Advanced-Mobile-Location (SMS) . 36
7.1.8.1 General . 36
7.1.8.2 Description . 37
7.1.8.3 Message Sequence Chart . 38
7.1.9 Advanced-Mobile-Location (DATA SMS) . 38
7.1.9.1 General . 38
7.1.9.2 Description . 39
7.1.9.3 Message Sequence Chart . 40
7.1.10 Location-Refresh (VoIP) . 40
7.1.10.1 General . 40
7.1.10.2 Description . 41
7.1.10.3 Message Sequence Chart . 42
7.1.11 Location-Refresh (IMS) . 42
7.1.11.1 General . 42
7.1.11.2 Description . 43
7.1.11.3 Message Sequence Chart . 44
7.2 Multimedia . 44
7.2.1 Audio (VoIP) . 44
7.2.1.1 General . 44
7.2.1.2 Description . 45
7.2.1.3 Message Sequence Chart . 46
7.2.2 Audio (IMS). 46
7.2.2.1 General . 46
7.2.2.2 Description . 47
7.2.2.3 Message Sequence Chart . 48
7.2.3 Audio (PSTN/PABX) . 48
7.2.3.1 General . 48
7.2.3.2 Description . 49
7.2.3.3 Message Sequence Chart . 50
7.2.4 Video (VoIP) . 50
7.2.4.1 General . 50
7.2.4.2 Description . 51
7.2.4.3 Message Sequence Chart . 52
7.2.5 Video (IMS) . 53
7.2.5.1 General . 53
7.2.5.2 Description . 53
7.2.5.3 Message Sequence Chart . 54
7.2.6 Real-time Text (VoIP) . 54
7.2.6.1 General . 54
7.2.6.2 Description . 55
7.2.6.3 Message Sequence Chart . 56
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5 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
7.2.7 Real-time Text (IMS). 57
7.2.7.1 General . 57
7.2.7.2 Description . 57
7.2.7.3 Message Sequence Chart . 58
7.2.8 Total Conversation (VoIP) . 58
7.2.8.1 General . 58
7.2.8.2 Description . 59
7.2.8.3 Message Sequence Chart . 60
7.2.9 Total Conversation (IMS) . 61
7.2.9.1 General . 61
7.2.9.2 Description . 61
7.2.9.3 Message Sequence Chart . 62
7.3 Policy . 63
7.3.1 Time and Date (VoIP, IMS, PSTN/PABX) . 63
7.3.1.1 General . 63
7.3.1.2 Description . 63
7.3.1.3 Message Sequence Chart . 64
7.3.2 SIP Header (VoIP, IMS, PSTN/PABX). 64
7.3.2.1 General . 64
7.3.2.2 Description . 65
7.3.2.3 Message Sequence Chart . 66
7.4 Lost Hierarchy . 66
7.4.1 Iteration (ESRP) . 66
7.4.1.1 General . 66
7.4.1.2 Description . 67
7.4.1.3 Message Sequence Chart . 68
7.4.2 Recursion (ESRP) . 68
7.4.2.1 General . 68
7.4.2.2 Description . 69
7.4.2.3 Message Sequence Chart . 70
7.4.3 Recursion (ECRF) with FG . 70
7.4.3.1 General . 70
7.4.3.2 Description . 71
7.4.3.3 Message Sequence Chart . 72
7.5 Messaging. 72
7.5.1 Basic Chat (VoIP) . 72
7.5.1.1 General . 72
7.5.1.2 Description . 73
7.5.1.3 Message Sequence Chart . 74
7.6 NG eCall . 75
7.6.1 Basic Communication (IMS) . 75
7.6.1.1 General . 75
7.6.2.2 Description . 75
7.6.2.3 Message Sequence Chart . 76
Annex A (normative): Interoperable Functions Statement (IFS) . 77
A.1 Entities . 77
A.2 UE Features . 77
A.3 IMS Features . 77
A.4 LNG (PIF) Features . 78
A.5 LNG (NIF) Features . 78
A.6 LNG (LIF) Features. 78
A.7 BCF Features . 78
A.8 LIS Features . 79
A.9 ESRP Features . 79
A.10 ECRF Features . 79
ETSI
6 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
A.11 BRIDGE Features . 79
A.12 PSAP Features . 80
Annex B (informative): Change history . 81
History . 82

ETSI
7 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
Intellectual Property Rights
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Foreword
This Technical Specification (TS) has been produced by ETSI Special Committee Emergency Communications
(EMTEL).
Modal verbs terminology
In the present document "shall", "shall not", "should", "should not", "may", "need not", "will", "will not", "can" and
"cannot" are to be interpreted as described in clause 3.2 of the ETSI Drafting Rules (Verbal forms for the expression of
provisions).
"must" and "must not" are NOT allowed in ETSI deliverables except when used in direct citation.
Executive summary
The present document specifies the Interoperability Test Descriptions (TD) for core elements involved in
network-independent access to emergency services. It provides a standardized methodology to verify end-to-end
interoperability between various emergency service network functions, including the Emergency Services IP network
(ESInet), Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), and originating networks like VoIP and IMS. The test descriptions
focus on validating key functionalities such as location delivery (By-Value and By-Reference), Advanced Mobile
Location (AML), multimedia session management (audio, video, real-time text), and emergency call routing.
ETSI
8 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
Introduction
Ensuring that emergency communications components from different vendors can interoperate is critical for the reliable
delivery of life-saving services. While conformance testing validates individual components, interoperability testing
ensures that the entire chain from the caller's device through the core network to the PSAP functions correctly in a
multi-vendor environment. The present document defines the necessary test supporting functional elements,
configurations and data sets required to perform lab-based interoperability testing. By following these standardized test
descriptions, operators and vendors can validate the deployment of Next Generation emergency services independently
of the access network.
ETSI
9 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
1 Scope
The present document defines the Interoperability Test Descriptions (TD) for core elements providing
network-independent access to emergency services. These test descriptions are intended to:
• Verify end-to-end interoperability between originating services (VoIP, IMS, PSTN/PABX) and Next
Generation core services such as the Border Control Function (BCF), Emergency Service Routing Proxy
(ESRP), and Emergency Call Routing Function (ECRF).
• Cover procedures for location acquisition and transport, including Location-By-Value and By-Reference, as
well as Advanced Mobile Location (AML) via HTTPS and SMS.
• Validate multimedia capabilities, ensuring successful transmission and reception of audio, video, Real-Time
Text (RTT), and total conversation across different network configurations.
• Test routing and policy functions, including the use of the LoST protocol for mapping locations to service
URNs and handling SIP headers for emergency call management.
• Provide a basis for standardized lab testing by specifying the baseline configurations, reference points, and
interfaces (such as SIP, HTTP, HELD, and RTP) required for a complete test environment.
The tests described in the present document are focused on functional interoperability and do not include performance
or security testing protocols.
2 References
2.1 Normative references
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific. For specific references, only the cited version applies. For non-specific references, the latest version of the
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
Referenced documents which are not found to be publicly available in the expected location might be found in the
ETSI docbox.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication, ETSI cannot guarantee
their long-term validity.
The following referenced documents are necessary for the application of the present document.
[1] ETSI TS 103 479: "Emergency Communications (EMTEL); Core elements for network
independent access to emergency services".
[2] ETSI TS 123 167: "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; IP Multimedia
Subsystem (IMS) emergency sessions; (3GPP TS 23.167)".
[3] ETSI TS 123 333: "Digital cellular telecommunications system (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Multimedia Resource Function Controller
(MRFC) - Multimedia Resource Function Processor (MRFP) Mp interface: Procedures
descriptions; (3GPP TS 23.333)".
[4] ETSI TS 103 625: "Emergency Communications (EMTEL); Transporting Handset Location to
PSAPs for Emergency Communications - Advanced Mobile Location".
[5] ETSI TS 103 698: "Emergency Communications (EMTEL); Lightweight Messaging Protocol for
Emergency Service Accessibility (LMPE)".
[6] IETF RFC 7946: "The GeoJSON Format", (August 2016).
[7] ETSI TS 103 683: "Mobile Standards Group (MSG); Testing; Next Generation eCall High Level
Application Protocol (HLAP) Interoperability Testing".
ETSI
10 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
2.2 Informative references
References are either specific (identified by date of publication and/or edition number or version number) or
non-specific. For specific references, only the cited version applies. For non-specific references, the latest version of the
referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
NOTE: While any hyperlinks included in this clause were valid at the time of publication, ETSI cannot guarantee
their long-term validity.
The following referenced documents may be useful in implementing an ETSI deliverable or add to the reader's
understanding, but are not required for conformance to the present document.
Not applicable.
3 Definition of terms, symbols and abbreviations
3.1 Terms
Void.
3.2 Symbols
Void.
3.3 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the following abbreviations apply:
AML Advanced Mobile Location
APP Application
BCF Border Control Function
CA Certification Authority
CAP Common Alerting Protocol
CPE Call Processing Equipment
CSCF Call Session Control Function
DID Decentralised Identifier
DLT Distributed Ledger Technology
DNS Domain Name System
DUT Device under Test
ECRF Emergency Call Routing Function
ECSCF Emergency Call Session Control Function
ESInet Emergency Services IP network
ESRP Emergency Service Routing Proxy
ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute
EUT Equipment Under Test
FG Forest Guide
GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
GW Gateway
HELD HTTP Enabled Location Delivery
HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol
HTTPS Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
IBCF Interconnection Border Control Function
ID Identity
IFS Interoperable Function Statement
IF Interface
IM Instant Messaging
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11 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
IMS IP Multimedia Subsystem
IP Internet Protocol
IVS In-Vehicle System
LbR Location by Reference
LbV Location by Value
LCS Location Services (3GPP)
LIF Location Interwork Function
LIS Location Information Server
LMPE Lightweight Messaging Protocol for Emergency Service Accessibility
LNG Legacy Network Gateway
LRF Location Retrieval Function
LO Location Object
LOST Location to Service Translation
LS Location Server
MRFP Multimedia Resource Function Processor
MSD Minimum Set of Data
NAPTR Name Authority Pointer
NG Next Generation
NIF Next Generation Specific Interwork Function
PABX Private Automatic Branch Exchange
PCSCF Proxy Call Session Control Function
PIDF Presence Information Data Format
PIDF-LO Presence Information Data Format - Location Object
PIF Protocol Interworking Function
PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network
PRF Policy Routing Function
PSAP Public Safety Answering Point
RTCP Real-time Transport Control Protocol
RTP Real-time Transport Protocol
RTT Real-Time Text
SCSCF Serving Call Session Control Function
SDP Session Description Protocol
SIP Session Initiation Protocol
SIPS Session Initiation Protocol Secure
SMS Short Message Service
SMSC Short Message Service Centre
SUT System Under Test
TC Total Conversation
TCP Transmission Control Protocol
TD Test Description
TLS Transport Layer Security
TR (ETSI) Technical Report
TS (ETSI) Technical Specification
UA User Agent
UC Unified Communication
UDP User Datagram Protocol
UE User Equipment
URI Uniform Resource Identifier
URL Uniform Resource Locator
URN Uniform Resource Name
UTF Unicode Transformation Format
VoIP Voice over IP WGS World Geodetic System
XML eXtensible Markup Language
ETSI
12 ETSI TS 103 480 V1.1.1 (2026-03)
4 Conventions
4.1 Test Description Pro forma
A Test Description (TD) is a detailed description of the process that needs to be followed to test one or more inter
operable functionalities between two or more vendor implementations. A TD should include as a minimum the
following elements: The following different types are defined.
Interoperability Test Description
Identifier a unique test description identifier should follow a well-defined naming convention, e.g.:
TD_XX_00
Test Objective a concise summary of the test, which should reflect its purpose and allow readers to
easily distinguish this test from any other test in the document
Configuration • list of all the required equipment for running this test, possibly also including a
(reference to) an illustration of a test architecture or test configuration
References
• list of references to the base specification clause(s), use case(s),
requirement(s), etc. which are either used in the test or define the functionality
being tested
Applicability
• list of features and capabilities in the IFS which are required to be supported by
the SUT in order to execute this test (e.g. if this list contains an optional feature
to be supported, then the test is optional)

Pre-test conditions
• list of test specific pre-conditions that need to be met by the SUT including
information about equipment configuration, i.e. precise description of the initial
state of the SUT prior to start executing the test sequence

Test Sequence Step Type Description
1 step description
Notes
• optional list of explanatory notes

• A stimulus corresponds to an event that triggers an EUT to proceed with a specific protocol action, like
sending a message for instance.
• A check step consists of verifying that the EUT behaves according to the expected behaviour (for instance the
EUT behaviour shows that it receives the expected message).
• A configure corresponds to an action to modify the EUT configuration.
• A verify step consists of verifying that the tested scenario provides expected results (for instance an
emergency call is received at the correct PSAP and media is transmitted).
Each check step consists of the receipt of protocol messages
...