[Asterisk-biz] 911 update

[Alex Pui]

I quoted a news from Network World, as below, is that a good news to VOIP
operators?

Alex

Today's focus:  Carriers facilitate 911 calls over VoIP

By Steve Taylor and Larry Hettick

Earlier this month, Vonage and Verizon announced that Verizon would provide
Vonage with E-911 network access so that Vonage will able to deliver both
the caller's location and a callback number to emergency services personnel
for 911 calls placed throughout Verizon's territory. 

BellSouth announced it would offer VoIP service providers a similar service.


In a statement, Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron said, "It is important that all
Vonage customers can use this solution, those with native phone numbers and
those who chose phone numbers from other areas."

Meanwhile, BellSouth CTO Bill Smith said, "An additional interim offering
may be useful to some providers while industry groups continue to work on a
nationwide and industry-wide standards-based permanent solution."
BellSouth's statement points out that similar changes in the system were
necessary when wireless phones first joined the mix of available
communications services. 

According to Verizon, when a Vonage customer dials 911, the call is routed
to Vonage's 911 server using the industry-standard Session Initiation
Protocol. The Vonage server then queries Intrado for routing instructions,
and the call is directed to the media gateway connection to the Verizon
network, using a dedicated physical circuit connected directly to Verizon's
selective router that serves the Public Safety Answering Point. 
Simultaneously, the system places the customer's address and telephone
number into the Automatic Location Information database. The approach is
compliant with the National Emergency Number Association proposed technical
standard.

We commend these three competitors for their cooperative efforts to improve
public safety.