1Eleven — emergency telephone numbers of the world | 1eleven.net
Network handling without a SIM card, location data passed to the operator, the 1991 EU decision, and the first 911 call in Haleyville in 1968.
When a GSM handset dials 112, the network recognises the number before any SIM-based routing takes place. This is why the call can be placed from a phone with no SIM card or a locked handset in many countries: the number is handled by the network itself, not by the subscription tied to the SIM.
The call is then routed to the local answering point covering the caller's area. In Europe, the operator answers in the local language. Across an increasing number of European answering centres, location data accompanies the call, so the operator can see roughly where the phone is before the caller speaks.
The European Union adopted 112 as the single emergency number in 1991, and it now works in every member state. The International Telecommunication Union reserves both 112 and 911 as global standard emergency numbers, which is what makes the behaviour consistent for travellers on foreign networks.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
911 follows the same network-level pattern in the United States and Canada. The first 911 call was made in Haleyville, Alabama, on 16 February 1968, and the number now routes to the public safety answering point covering the caller's area.
In Australia, calls to 112 from mobile phones are diverted to the 000 service. A traveller who dials the European number still reaches Australian responders, because the network performs the diversion before the call leaves the country's infrastructure.
The practical result for a visitor is simple: dial 112 if you do not know the local number, and expect the call to connect even without a SIM. For what happens once an operator answers, see [What Happens When You Call](/calling-rules), and for the full country list see [Emergency Numbers by Country](/country-table).
Further reading