AP:"vonage faces a suit over 911 calls

We've been trying to tell people for several months now that VOIP has that shortcoming. It's solvable, but it's going to take an infusion of cash and outfits like Vonage have no interest in doing that. What will come of the lawsuit will be an obligation to inform customers of the shortcoming and insist that they sign an acknowledgement and waiver when they sign up for service. I doubt Vonage has any plans to provide 911 service. When you understand what it takes to do it you begin to understand why there was a

911 surcharge on your legacy landline phone bill.

There's a different 911 number for each customer: it's an index - how did they ever manage to make it so complicated?

The CallVantage answer is that the customer is responsible for entering their correct address and location. I assumed that ATT would be able to look up the "phone number" for the EMS at that address and location - silly me!

This assumes everyone is in the US again of course, we don't have 911 in the UK. We do have 999 though and in mainland Europe they have 112 (also coming into use here as well) so how would you ensure an emergency call goes to the correct destination based on where the caller *actually* is rather than where the system *thinks* he is..?

Ivor

We were told that it was necessary that 911 service be activated when we signed up for the VoIP service in Jan '04!

Vonage does indeed have 911 service, but you need to activate it and give them your physical address where the phone is used. For example, I live in California but I could easily get a phone number out of New York. I must tell Vonage the physical address is in California so 911 operators can tell that even though I have a New York number, I am in California.

--Dan

Glad to hear it!

Here is a further article on the subject:

In the USA dial 911, then TELL them where you are. The system called "E911" (Expanded 911) was designed for liscensed telephone companies to communicate to an emergency call center in your immediate locality.

VOIP 911 (in the US) has to figure out where you said you were, then figure out where the neares emergence response team is to call them.

[snip]

I thought one of the main attractions of VoIP was that it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you have a broadband connection you can plug in an ATA (say) configured with a UK number in the US or wherever and call back to the UK at UK rates. For example I take my Sipura SPA-2000 configured with my UK phone numbers to the US with me and connect it to my friend's ADSL router. I then have my 2 UK numbers active in San Francisco and I can then call home the same as if I was still there.

I then want to call the emergency services. So which number do I dial..? The system has no idea where I am physically located so how can it route the call to the correct destination..?

The use of VoIP for emergency access still has a way to go, I think.

Ivor

So what do you do if you want to use the system elsewhere..?

Ivor

Ivor Jones wrote: .... My ATA is configured with UK phone numbers. 911 is

And whose fault is that!

Not true: you are required to tell your provider your location, unless you are using something like Net2Phone.

People's lives have been saved by calls from 2000 miles away.

IF there is one. Also, not all cell phones have location capability yet, but that will be required soon in the US.

Not much: you just access a web site (click) and type in your location - this is assuming your browser remembers usernames and passwords for you .... oh, I forgot, that's too much work for you even thou you have time to travel "5000 miles."

You have to tell them your physical location. That is the only way they can know where you are physically located, there would be no other 100% sure way of knowing. I think this is one of those situations where the old saying "you can't have your cake and eat it too" would apply.

--Dan

[snip]

You miss the point. My ATA is configured with UK phone numbers. 911 is unknown in the UK, dialling it will not work. VoIP does not know where I am, it assumes as I am using a UK number I am located there, that's why I can call home for the same cost as if I was there. Even if the UK 999 number worked, it would connect me with a UK operator, which is no good to me 5000 miles away..!

Far better to forget VoIP for emergency use, use a normal landline or a mobile.

Ivor

So who do I tell..? Suppose I move around a lot, that's a lot of hassle and extra work for both me and them.

Far better IMHO to use normal landlines or mobile (cell) phones in a true emergency.

Ivor

Whoever decided which emergency number is used in which country, I expect. Nothing to do with VoIP or providers of it.

Required by whom..? I use Sipgate

I have two accounts with them, each with a different UK phone number and SIP ID. These are programmed into my Sipura SPA-2000 ATA, which I then plug into my ADSL router. There is nothing whatever to stop me unplugging it from my own router and taking it with me anywhere in the world and plugging it into another router there. It registers with the central server at Sipgate and I get dial tone when I pick up the phone. I can call UK numbers at the same rate as if I were at home and people there can call me at the normal local rate.

Read the info on Sipgate's website, the ability to do this is one of the prime selling points of the service. Say you live in Hong Kong, but do a lot of business with customers in London. You can have a London phone number, even though you don't live there.

Besides, as far as I can tell, there is no way for me to tell Sipgate or anyone else where I am anyway..!

Using VoIP..?

If by that you mean GPS, there is no necessity for that to locate a phone in use, it can be triangulated to within a reasonable distance by the service providers anyway based on the cells in use. That's how it's done here.

Ivor

Well if you have a landline and cell phone, AND you are aware of this issue, whats the problem? What exactly is your complaint here? I just don't seem to get it. Its like saying "oh you mean I actually have to aquire food, prepare it, and EAT it, just to stay alive? I am a busy person and thats a lot of hassle and extra work. Far better IMHO to just order some chinese food or a pizza".

--Dan

Whose website..? I use Sipgate

- the only time you are ever asked for a location is when you sign up for an account. Find me somewhere on that site to tell them I am plugging in my equipment away from home.

Ivor

Huh? Required by what rule? And by what mechanism would you tell them anyway? My VoIP providers sure haven't expressed any interest in that info.

If you sign up for 911 service, then they want your address to send along when you dial 911. That's it.

miguel