There's plenty to be said about cellular telephone services and 911. After all, you dial 911 to get assistance when in need - be it a fire, medical condition, or law enforcement issue. But when you are calling from a device that could be located on opposite sides of a city in a matter of minutes, things can get complicated.
Most cellular phone providers now provide location services from the phone, displaying latitude and longitude coordinates. When a 911 call is placed from one of these phones, its location is displayed at our center with these coordinates as opposed to a normal address. With these coordinates, we can provide a nearby address to responders so they can find the caller. However, unfortunately not all providers have developed their location services fully, but they are working on it.
Additionally, with the growing number of "pay-per-call" or pre-paid cell phone plans, locating these callers is still an obstacle to overcome.
VOIP PHONES & 911 COMMUNICATIONS
What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voiceover Internet Protocol, which is the merging of hardware and software that allows users to place telephone calls via Internet. This software breaks your voice into data packets, which are sent using IP (Internet Protocol) as opposed to the traditional circuitry of the standard public telephone system.
How common is VoIP?
VoIP isn't all that new - being able to voice communicate across the internet has been around for some time. But for it to really be effective, the user needs pretty fast Internet speeds. As the phone and cable companies and the upcoming Wi-Fi wireless providers grow, so does the availability of these faster broadband internet connections. With that comes the VoIP communications software, hardware, and even dedicated providers of the service.
Is there an advantage to using VoIP over traditional phone services?
The short answer is yes, if you have adequate internet speeds. VoIP services are growing and will ultimately end long-distance phone charges, among other things. You simply pay your monthly internet access as you normally do. Placing a VoIP phone call is more like sending an e-mail.
Unfortunately, there’s a catch - this type of service affects 911 services. VoIP technology is becoming more popular, spreading faster than the service providers’ ability to integrate the technology with existing communication infrastructures.
How does VoIP impact 911 communications?
When a 911 call is placed using traditional telephone lines, the call is sent through various telephone company switches that are able to route the call to the correct PSAP (or 911 call center) that corresponds with the caller’s location. Placing a call using VoIP can create issues, as:
➤ there are many more service providers, which creates difficulty regarding their cooperation; and
➤ internet access accounts can be opened, closed, and switched so rapidly that without the cooperation of VoIP service providers, there’s no way to know where the 911 call is originating from and which 911 center should receive and handle the call.
Just as any other new technology, VoIP will eventually progress in its compatibility with 911 services. Many responsible providers are actively working on this important aspect of the technology. One day, hopefully soon, 911 service on VoIP will exist as it does with ordinary telephone services.
KEEP IN MIND: if you use VoIP services and the power goes out in your home or business, resulting in the loss of your internet connection, you will not have the ability to place phone calls without a backup form of communication.
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