Endpoints and data transmission

A partner endpoint refers to the partner-owned and partner-operated infrastructure that receives user emergency location information from ELS. ELS supports these protocols for reporting location information and additional emergency information to endpoints:

Types of endpoint

ELS supports these protocols for reporting location information and additional emergency information to endpoints:

  • HTTPS: The partner endpoint is a standard HTTPS server capable of receiving POST requests. ELS information is encoded as name-value pairs in each POST request. See ELS HTTPS Specification.
  • SMS: The partner endpoint is a phone number (short code or long code) capable of receiving SMS messages. SMS messages can be sent as regular SMS or Data SMS. See ELS SMS Specification.

Both of the transmission protocols comply with the ETSI AML standard, but can be extended by adding additional fields and capabilities, as described in this documentation.

Why use both

Each of the transmission protocols described earlier has advantages and disadvantages. Android strongly recommends using both protocols simultaneously, with basic matching on phone number or IMEI, to gain the benefits of both. For more on the ideal way to combine both formats, see EENA webinar.

Security considerations

Regardless of the endpoint type, consider security. Endpoints must be resilient to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) and other kinds of attacks, and may be required to undergo a Google security audit prior to deployment.

Compliance

Android's implementation of AML should comply with the latest published ETSI AML standard and with the relevant regulation (such as, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/320). For any questions or concerns about compliance testing, contact your test lab. Google can only support specific questions about testing and compliance directly from certified testing laboratories.