PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota 911 Coordination Board has agreed to purchase upgraded backup services for emergency calls.

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The state board during a teleconference on Thursday approved a two-year contract to purchase RapidSOS Unite at an annual cost of $171,000.

The contract can be halted with 60-day notice, state 911 coordinator Jason Husby said.

That provision reflects uncertainty about long-term funding.

The Legislature increased the 911 surcharge that phone users pay in South Dakota to $2 per line from $1.25. But the increase expires on July 1, 2026.

South Dakota’s emergency-call centers, known as public service answering points or PSAPs, already use a free basic version of RapidSOS, according to Husby.

Under the new contract, PSAPs will be able to decide whether to purchase additional features available for RapidSOS Unite.

“They’re going to get the same pricing benefit,” Husby said.

Watertown Police Chief Tim Toomey praised the contract negotiations. “Good work and I’m looking forward to implementing this across the state,” Toomey said.

The contract for backup 911 services comes after three different 911 outages in South Dakota earlier this year. The first one, in April, was caused by a third-party installing a light pole for Lumen Technologies.