As I have indicated previously, emergency services 911 calling is the Achilles heel of VoIP services. The E911 systems in place serving the traditional wireline POTS services are linked to a large and well-maintained database of physical addresses linked to telephone numbers and, all driven by the operational support systems of the telcos. Because the POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) wireline telephone number is linked to a physical address where the wireline service terminates, the database is automatically queried at the time of a 911 call so as to deliver the address and phone number on the screen when the call is answered at an emergency dispatch center. Unlike wireline POTS, VoIP services and calls are not necessarily fixed to a specific physical address, nor are they integrated into the E911 network. A reading of the Texas filing is instructive.
There is substantial cost to manage and maintain the database and all the backup systems required to provide effective and efficient 911 services. Any additional costs to assure VoIP compatibility and linking should be paid by VoIP providers and their customers. To the extent that inherently VoIP 911 cannot be as fool-proof as wireline POTS, that failing must be either highlighted and reinforced continually to customers or fixed. Texas says VoIP services are deficient with respect to 911 emergency calling and this deficiency is not properly marketed to customers. They may have a winning point. If other states sue, the problem will get attention.
However, this article buys into the VoIP providers' story laying the blame on telcos for not accommodating VoIP emergency calling. Where is the telco side of the story? Poor journalism!!
For VoIP not to a second rate service, the 911 problem must be fixed. The cost of the fix should be paid by the VoIP industry or by their VoIP customers. After all, VoIP is a competitive service to wireline POTS.
"With VoIP, calls are packaged in Internet Protocol, the same routing instructions that form the backbone of the Internet. The problem, according to Net phone providers, is that the Bells have yet to give providers unfettered access to the 911 infrastructure linking more than 3,200 emergency call centers.
That forces the Net phone companies into less-effective ways of routing 911 calls. Rather than being able to get them directly to trained emergency dispatchers, the calls are typically routed to administrative lines at call centers, which then transfer them to dispatchers. In an emergency, the few seconds lost could be the difference between life and death.
This issue is unlikely to derail Net telephony completely, but it could lead to higher prices and increased regulatory oversight of the nascent industry. Ripple effects could also reach traditional phone networks and the Bells, as VoIP providers call on authorities to help broker deals that would allow them to roll out 911 support faster."
Here are the results of a recent online poll about the factors consumers rank when considering VoIP.
What They Liked
Respondents ranked saving $500 a year as the best carrot from a series of 15 potential VoIP enticements. The idea of unlimited free calls to anywhere in the country was second.
The poll's results also underscored the desire for convenience and reliability. Respondents ranked the ability to keep the same phone number as third and the ability to keep phone service working during a power outage fourth.
An ongoing issue for VoIP, having an address sent automatically to a dispatcher during an emergency 911 call, ranked eighth.
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