"The Current Status of E911
Implementation for VoIP Systems"
One of the very first things that parents and educators teach children to do after learning how to use the phone, is how to dial 911 for emergency assistance. Children that are barely able to babble to their grandparents over the phone are sufficient and capable of dialing 911 in the event that their parents are unable to do the same. The purpose of having a dedicated phone number linked to emergency service centers all over the nation is to provide a uniform manner of quickly accessing police, rescue and fire teams in the event of an emergency. According to the FCC, 911 services began in 1965 and have been spreading across the country since then. (1) These services are available on most hard-wire and non-wire telephones with most areas offering what is called enhanced 911 or E911. The enhanced version of 911 offers the capability of delivering a physical address and call back number for the phone that initially dialed emergency services.
A Cisco 7960G IP telephone
Voice over Internet Protocol, how it works
Example of residential network including VoIPThis enhanced service allows emergency personnel to locate and thereby assist callers in need should the original call become disconnected. A large gap in 911 accessibility has been recognized in the VoIP or voice over Internet protocol area of telephony.
The Importance of 911
According to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), by the late 1960s the need for a universal emergency number was recognized. This recognition led the National Association of Fire Chiefs to recommend a single number for use in fire emergencies. Then AT&T was brought on board into communication with the FCC to determine a single never-before-used number to implement as a universal emergency code. The decided upon number was 9-1-1. This number was not only short, easy to remember, and recognizable, it had also...