1 Million 911 VoIP Calls

In the USA over 1 million 911 VoIP calls will be made this year. With the growing number of people switching over to the cheaper VoIP solution authorities are becoming more concerned over the lack of ability of many VoIP services to handle 911 VoIP calls effectively and provide the correct details to the emergency call centers.

The problem with 911 VoIP calls is that the calls are not routed through the traditional telephone system and travel through an internet connection as digital information. They are often rerouted a few times before coming through to the emergency call network which serves the 6200 emergency call centers in the USA.

911 VoIP call often do not provide information on the caller's location which is normally received through the traditional phone network. In some cases a caller in one area of the country could be rerouted through to a call center at the other end of the USA because the location information is not correct. This can significantly delay the response time to 911 VoIP calls. Some companies such as Time Warner have resolved the problem with their VoIP network. Emergency call centers state that a lot of the problems with 911 VoIP calls are from people on the Lingo VoIP network.

For those of you that use a VoIP service or are thinking of switching for the cost saving benefits here are some recommendations to help you reduce the problems with 911 VoIP calls should an emergency arise.

- Verify that the emergency services can be contacted from your phone
- Check the providers website for their 911 calling features
- By keeping your registered location current with your VoIP provider you can ensure that the information displayed to 911 call centers are current and not your old address or someone else’s.
- A power cut can effect your VoIP connection so consider a back up powers supply.
- Inform guests, baby sitters and household members of the restrictions of 911 VoIP calls.
- Consider keeping a land line phone for emergencies.
- Keep the address and call back number displayed clearly near your VoIP phone in case of emergency.
- Know the local police and fire department that is responsible for dealing with your local VoIP calls and keep the agency's phone number to provide to the emergency call center.