[asterisk-biz] VoIP 9-1-1 failure - don't let it happen to you

[Peter Beckman]

On Tue, 6 May 2008, SIP wrote:

> Neither of which are terribly effective. GPS is rather unreliable
> indoors, and if you're truly on the move, having your phone stop working
> every time you switch APs until you reconfirm your location (which you
> may not even know) is, perhaps, a worthless solution.

  The ISPs could provide IP-to-Address mapping for dynamic IP assignments.
  The ISP knows who the customer is (at least in theory, technically) when
  they dole out an IP to them, and if the service is something like FIOS,
  DSL or another physical entity, the ISP should be able to provide
  registered ISPs a service where the IP can be queried for the address, and
  potentially matched to the data provided, or maybe even as a trusted
  source of the data.

  While technically pheasable, and with most of the ISPs having been phone
  companies both currently and in a past life, and their knowledge and
  experience with providing 911 services in the past where people didn't
  have to tell the phone company where they were, it would probably take the
  Government to take action to force the ISPs to do this.  And even then, I
  know there are people on the list capable of shooting holes in this as
  well.

  I do like the GPS idea, but make it aGPS.  You don't need to have service
  with a wireless carrier in order to listen to the signal or talk to the
  tower.  If you know where the tower is, you can get a decent idea where
  you are +/- 1 mile and push the call to the right 911 center.  But then
  again, sure, if you are in the boonies with no cell towers, you are hosed.
  But if the ATA can pick up a signal, and it DOES get a GPS fix, it should
  be able to pass that or be query-able.

> These are basic problems for which NO one has a solution.

  That's because there is no good one-size-fits-all solution.  What I've
  thrown out is just more of a "it might work in some cases" solution.  This
  is a complex problem, and nobody has an easy solution.  I think the best
  solution will be a combination of technical solutions and good testing.
  There really should be a new number, "912" that routes like 911 except to
  a recording that states the location you would reach if you dialed 911,
  and the information they have on file (or passed in the call).  Easy to
  verify, easy (well, maybe) to implement, and no operators annoyed with
  "test" calls.

Beckman
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Peter Beckman                                                  Internet Guy
beckman at angryox.com                                 http://www.angryox.com/
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