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Vonage To Tie Into Verizon's 911 System

May 4, 2005
Vonage says it will spend $10 million to provide 911-style emergency service to its customers. The embattled Internet phone service provider says it will work with Verizon and other companies to tie into their 911 systems.

VOIP-911 • FCC Wants Enhanced 911 Service For Cell Phone, VoIP Users • Vonage 911 Caller Put On Hold While House Burns Down • FCC Requires VoIP Carriers to Provide Enhanced 911 Service • FCC Ready to Require VoIP Carriers to Provide 911 Service • Vonage To Tie Into Verizon's 911 System • Connecticut Sues Vonage Over 911 Claims • Michigan Warns Vonage About 911 • VOIP 911 Moves To Front Burner At FCC • 911 Becoming an Emergency for VOIP Providers • SBC, Vonage in Stand-Off Over 911 • Texas Sues Vonage over 911 Access

Vonage says the Verizon deal is "the first domino" of a plan to implement emergency services nationwide. For now, the Verizon contract includes emergency service access in Verizon’s footprint.

Emergency calls from Vonage customers will be routed over the Verizon network to connect to the emergency dispatchers, who will be able to access a database of the caller’s personal information due to a unique key encoded in the call.

Vonage says it has also set aside funds to work with three other regional Bell operating companies -— BellSouth, SBC, and Qwest, although it has not yet reached agreement with them. However, Vonage said it has yet to reach agreements with those companies.

Besides the $10 million set-up expense, Vonage will pay about $1 million per month for the service, a company spokeswoman said.

The move comes none too soon. Texas, Michigan and Connecticut have challenged Vonage's marketing, claiming it does not spell out the details of its emergency service plan to customers. In Texas, a child whose parents had been assaulted in a robbery was allegedly unable to reach help, while in Connecticut the mother of a sick infant was unable to contact emergency dispatches.

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