Canada's phone and broadcast regulator will force cellphone companies to change their systems so dispatchers can locate the origin of a 911 call.

"We have made a decision that by February of 2010, Canadians will have access to enhanced 911 services," said Len Katz, vice-chairman, telecommunications, of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Enhanced means that the location of callers will be clear to 911 dispatchers, he said.

A number of people have died after making 911 calls from cellphones because emergency dispatchers could not tell where the person was.

For example, Sharmarke Warsame died outside Brooks, Alta., last fall after calling 911. He had been beaten and left in a field. Police found his body three days after the call was made.

Many 911 calls are made from cellphones.

Cellphone companies can charge a 911 fee, even in areas where there is no such service provided.

The CRTC can require providers to make safety services available, but does not regulate cellphone rates, Katz said.

The big three cellphone companies — Bell, Telus and Rogers — as well as local providers are facing class-action lawsuits over the 911 charge. The lawsuits claim the companies misrepresented to customers what the charge was for.

Bell Mobility recently failed to get a Yellowknife man's case over the fees thrown out of court.

Contractor James Anderson filed the lawsuit in 2007, saying that he took exception to being charged 75 cents a month for 911 service, when there is no 911 service in the Northwest Territories.

There have also been safety issues with internet phones, but the new requirement covers wireless services only, Katz said.

However, the commission is looking at safety and internet phones. There is no deadline for a decision, he said.