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WhyADuck
Premium Member
join:2003-03-05

WhyADuck to jgwilliams

Premium Member

to jgwilliams

Re: Who you gonna call when 911 doesnt work?

Mr. Williams, with all due respect, your post seems to muddy the waters a bit with regard to how 911 works. Much of what you have said is true, and I do realize that when calls are made from traditional phone lines, they come in on dedicated trunks that (usually) are kept separate from the trunks used to handle regular phone traffic.

However, what your post fails to address is what happens when a cell phone caller dials 911. That is relevant because for 911 purposes, a service like VoicePulse or Vonage or P8 is much more like cellular phone service than traditional wireline phone service - in particular, the customer can change locations (even while the call is in progress, if using a wireless ISP). Most PSAP's have a regular ten digit phone number that is used for calls from some wireless carriers (particularly the ones that still can't handle enhanced 911 properly). That is really the number that a VoIP customer wants to use, because calls coming in on that number are treated as emergency calls.

In my area you can get that number simply by looking up the business number for "Central Dispatch" and calling that number and explaining your situation. They will then tell you the proper number to use. You may have to emphasize that you want a number that you can call in an emergency when using a phone that is incapable of calling 911. You may have to ask to talk to the manager if whoever initially answers the phone can't seem to grasp why you'd need such a number. But, at least in my neck of the woods, such numbers do exist.

If you have come up with a better solution that does not require an increase in the monthly rate for customers, well and good. But just be aware that there is more than one way to get a call in to a 911 dispatcher, and while some ways may be technically superior to others, the fact remains that for many years, and even still today in some cases, the "non-enhanced" 911 (that, in this area at least, translates to a regular ten digit number) was all that was available to cell phone customers.
BizFinancing
Premium Member
join:2003-01-10
Port Orchard, WA

BizFinancing

Premium Member

said by WhyADuck:
However, what your post fails to address is what happens when a cell phone caller dials 911.

Cellular services are now handled just like land line phones in part to enhanced 911 but also due to features that are part of the newer digital networks such as CDMA, TDMA & GSM.

The callers 10 digit number is now transmitted constantly in addition to the ESN which provides user authentication as well as ANI info.

Older analog handsets were not designed to transmit ANI information which is why call trace services where generally ineffective at tracking someone. For many of you who can recall back to cellular calls from more than 5 yrs ago ... they rarely if ever would show up on a Caller ID system.

Many of the wireless areas not covered by E-911 are still not serviced by digital services or have older equipment which are not compliant.

Problems with VoIP is mostly in dealing with the service providers network and if they are properly tracking and transmitting the end user's ANI to the PSTN (usually for cost reasons).

For those of you who are concerned with reaching the proper number for emergency services, I highly recommend following WhyADuck's advise and locate your local Central Dispatch number or the direct emergency numbers for Fire, Police and Medic especially if you either do not have cellular service or can not get a signal from your location.

And as JJV has noted (I experienced the same here in Seattle), that many direct or local numbers will now transfer you to 911 to consolidate, track and record all in bound calls.