By routing these 988 calls to centers near the caller, a T-Mobile customer experiencing a mental health crisis can discuss his situation with a counselor who is familiar with the services and resources available to he caller at his current location. Previously, these 988 calls were routed by T-Mobile to crisis centers based on area code which means that someone in need of counseling immediately might end up talking to someone familiar with the help available in a different state.
If you are having a mental health crisis, calling 988 on your T-Mobile phone will connect you with a counselor near your location. | Image credit-988 Lifeline
T-Mobile is the first wireless provider to route 988 calls to a crisis center near the caller. To make this possible, T-Mobile employs georouting, a new solution that determines the county that a call is coming from and sends the call to a local crisis center. This is different than geolocation which gives first responders an exact street address. With georouting, the precise address of the caller is never shared.
“T-Mobile’s network was the first to connect 988 callers directly to local crisis teams prepared to provide community-specific support and resources. Around 80% of calls to the 988 Lifeline are done through wireless phones, and many people have phone numbers with different area codes from where they live, work or visit. Georouting ensures that those seeking help will reach the available crisis center nearest their location for support. It’s about making sure help is there when and where it’s needed most.”- Ulf Ewaldsson, T-Mobile President of Technology
The carrier says that by enabling the use of georouting for 988 calls, T-Mobile continues to remove barriers that prevent people from obtaining mental health assistance when that assistance is urgently needed most. The barriers that T-Mobile has already helped to break down include cultural and language differences. Now it is removing the barrier that forces people to travel long distances to get the counseling they need right away.
This isn’t the first time that T-Mobile has led the industry in advocating for its customers’ mental health. Four years ago it became the first of the major wireless providers to support 988 calls and did so 20 months before it would have to connect such calls due to an FCC deadline. In July 2022, T-Mobile subscribers could start texting 988 to get free and quick access to mental health services which is a feature still available today.
