Cablevision Systems Corp. has announced announced that its Optimum Voice VoIP service has just passed the one million customer mark. Optimum Voice includes enhanced 911 access for every customer.
Archive for the ‘VoIP’ Category
(USA) Cablevision’s Optimum Voice(R) Surpasses One Million Customers
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006(USA) NENA VOIP E911 Solution for Review
Wednesday, August 24th, 2005NENA announced the start of the 20 day public review period for NENA’s Interim Solution standard (short name I2) on August 22, 2005. This is NENA’s first major standard on VoIP and E9-1-1 system interface, and is an interim solution for VoIP telecommunications service providers to provide full Enhanced 9-1-1 service through current E9-1-1 infrastructure. The draft standard is available for review and comments through the NENA web site.
This design and standard is a migratory step toward the currently in-progress design of an IP-based Next Generation 9-1-1 service that will flexibly support all types of 9-1-1 calling devices.
The review period will end at 5:00PM on September 19th 2005.
(USA) VoIP Providers Have 120 Days to Provide 911
Wednesday, June 1st, 2005Companies offering internet-based phone services in the US have been given just 120 days to ensure that their lines provide access to the emergency services, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled last week.
There are going to be a lot of problems with this mandate, and it’s likely to stifle the development and deployment of VoIP technology. A cynic might think that that’s what the incumbent telcos want – a few more years of being able to charge inflated fees for telephone services before voice becomes just another service delivered over broadband and metered by the megabyte.
Meanwhile, other countries will continue to pull ahead of the US in this area.
(USA) APCO Accuses Vonage Of 911 Subterfuge
Wednesday, April 20th, 2005The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) has complained to the FCC about Vonage’s proposed interim method of handling E911 VoIP calls.
Vonage is proposing to route E911 VoIP calls to the 10-digit administrative number of the nearest PSAP, until they can get a proper E911 solution running.
APCO is taking the position that all new technologies such as VoIP should be required to support E911 properly. Expecting PSAPs to respond to emergency calls on administrative numbers disrupts and strains their limited resources.
(USA) CNET E911 Article
Friday, April 8th, 2005Time is running out for fast-growing Net phone providers to fully support 911 emergency services, a key but costly public safety feature that few now provide.
This is a pretty good rundown on the current issues surrounding VoIP and its support of E911 in the USA.
(USA) AOL Offers VoIP, Joins NENA
Thursday, April 7th, 2005NENA and America Online, Inc issued a joint release April 7 announcing that AOL and NENA will work together to develop a multi-faceted public awareness campaign and AOL has joined the Next Generation E9-1-1 Program, as a member of the Operational/Educational roundtable. AOL’s VoIP service, which is being offered, starting the same day, does include E9-1-1 as a standard feature.
(USA) Vonage Defends Manually Activated 911 Calling
Tuesday, April 5th, 2005Another article on the controversial Vonage VoIP 911 service, and the Texas attorney general’s lawsuit against them.
A sticking point seems to be the fact that Vonage requires manual activation of the 911 service, where the consumer needs to ring up and specify the address at which the phone is installed so that emergency calls can be routed to the correct PSAP.
Some are suggesting that Vonage should collect the customer’s address when the VoIP service is first ordered, and activate the 911 service before shipping the equipment. But Vonage counters that they never really know what address the equipment will be installed at. In fact, one of the benefits of Vonage’s VoIP service is that the customer can move the phone to wherever they have broadband access. When that happens, the customer is supposed to ring up and have their 911 address updated.
The software to map the subscriber’s physical address to the nearest PSAP is provided by Intrado.
It’ll be interesting to see where this case ends up. The cynic in me thinks that the incumbent phone companies will leverage the E911 issue to stall the rollout of VoIP and protect their lucrative voice business, or force VoIP providers to pay them to access 911 services. What do you think?
VoIP’s E911 Call For Help
Sunday, March 27th, 2005In his blog, Om Malik, senior writer for Business 2.0 magazine, gives his opinion on the Vonage VoIP E911 case.
Hopefully all the media attention this case is getting will help pave the way to allow VoIP providers to access E911 PSAPs.
(USA) Vonage Sued Over 911 Calling
Friday, March 25th, 2005From Engadget.
Vonage is being sued for deceptive trade practices by the Texas state attorney general because their VoIP service has 911 calling disabled by default, and doesn’t make it clear enough that it needs to be activated by the purchaser.
This case is a flow-on from the recent shooting incident where a girl tried to call 911 after her parents were shot during a home invasion, but her call didn’t go through because the family had a Vonage VoIP phone without 911 calling enabled. Her parents survived the attack, luckily.
Full details of the suit are posted at the Texas Attorney General web site.
It’s a thorny issue, but more work needs to be done to get support for VoIP calls and tracing for 911 emergency services.
More coverage from the LA Times.
What are your thoughts? Is Vonage in the wrong? Are they being deceptive, or are their customer warnings and information adequate?