AT&T says it's solved a problem that has dogged Internet-based phone service: how to provide emergency 911 to people who use VoIP - short for Voice over Internet Protocol - on the road.
The problem: VoIP users who call 911 from hotels and other remote sites sometimes can't be found by 911 operators. That's because the correct locations of these "nomadic" users don't show up on operators' screens.
The Federal Communications Commission has given Internet phone carriers until Nov. 28 to make their VoIP services 911-capable. AT&T's rival carriers are still working on the problem.
The national 911 service uses databases crammed with customers' home addresses to pinpoint the location of callers. VoIP is mobile. So home addresses are meaningless if a customer uses an Internet phone in a different location.
AT&T, which invented the USA's 911 service in 1968, estimates that about 5% of its 53,000 VoIP customers use the service on the road. There are about 2 million VoIP users nationwide.
"That is the bane of everybody's existence," says Robert Quinn, an AT&T vice president.
AT&T's nomadic solution, called Heartbeat, uses its Internet network to track the location of users. Here's how it works:
When VoIP customers power down, AT&T's network will automatically suspend VoIP service. Once the phone adapter is plugged back in, AT&T will ask the user to verify his or her location.
For customers who indicate they haven't moved, service will be instantly restored. If they have moved, they'll be directed to an 800 number or a Web page to register the new location.
AT&T's VoIP units - sold under the CallVantage name - are programmed to contact the carrier's global network once every 24 hours. During these communications, AT&T sends software upgrades and does maintenance.
Heartbeat works off that same protocol, Quinn notes.
AT&T's solution isn't foolproof. If a customer fails to verify he's moved to a remote location, AT&T has no way to check, Quinn says.
The plan also has a limited reach. CallVantage now connects to about 50% of the "public safety administration points" that administer the 911 program. Those who travel outside that footprint will immediately lose service, Quinn says.
Quinn allows that AT&T's fix "isn't the most elegant solution." Still, he says, AT&T is hopeful it will help educate the public about VoIP, particularly the 911 limitations.
AT&T, which has been sold to SBC - the deal could close as early as next month - is open to licensing its Heartbeat solution to other carriers, Quinn says.
The letter outlining the Heartbeat plan was sent to the FCC on Friday. Quinn says AT&T developed the plan after talking with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
Vonage, the USA's biggest VoIP player, is working with vendors to meet the FCC's Nov. 28 deadline. Spokeswoman Brooke Schulz says Vonage's 911 plans are "moving along nicely."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20051011/tc_usatoday/atamptsolvesvoips911issue;_ylt=AvFosXS1atrwZ3LufV28ZIUjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
The problem: VoIP users who call 911 from hotels and other remote sites sometimes can't be found by 911 operators. That's because the correct locations of these "nomadic" users don't show up on operators' screens.
The Federal Communications Commission has given Internet phone carriers until Nov. 28 to make their VoIP services 911-capable. AT&T's rival carriers are still working on the problem.
The national 911 service uses databases crammed with customers' home addresses to pinpoint the location of callers. VoIP is mobile. So home addresses are meaningless if a customer uses an Internet phone in a different location.
AT&T, which invented the USA's 911 service in 1968, estimates that about 5% of its 53,000 VoIP customers use the service on the road. There are about 2 million VoIP users nationwide.
"That is the bane of everybody's existence," says Robert Quinn, an AT&T vice president.
AT&T's nomadic solution, called Heartbeat, uses its Internet network to track the location of users. Here's how it works:
When VoIP customers power down, AT&T's network will automatically suspend VoIP service. Once the phone adapter is plugged back in, AT&T will ask the user to verify his or her location.
For customers who indicate they haven't moved, service will be instantly restored. If they have moved, they'll be directed to an 800 number or a Web page to register the new location.
AT&T's VoIP units - sold under the CallVantage name - are programmed to contact the carrier's global network once every 24 hours. During these communications, AT&T sends software upgrades and does maintenance.
Heartbeat works off that same protocol, Quinn notes.
AT&T's solution isn't foolproof. If a customer fails to verify he's moved to a remote location, AT&T has no way to check, Quinn says.
The plan also has a limited reach. CallVantage now connects to about 50% of the "public safety administration points" that administer the 911 program. Those who travel outside that footprint will immediately lose service, Quinn says.
Quinn allows that AT&T's fix "isn't the most elegant solution." Still, he says, AT&T is hopeful it will help educate the public about VoIP, particularly the 911 limitations.
AT&T, which has been sold to SBC - the deal could close as early as next month - is open to licensing its Heartbeat solution to other carriers, Quinn says.
The letter outlining the Heartbeat plan was sent to the FCC on Friday. Quinn says AT&T developed the plan after talking with FCC Chairman Kevin Martin.
Vonage, the USA's biggest VoIP player, is working with vendors to meet the FCC's Nov. 28 deadline. Spokeswoman Brooke Schulz says Vonage's 911 plans are "moving along nicely."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20051011/tc_usatoday/atamptsolvesvoips911issue;_ylt=AvFosXS1atrwZ3LufV28ZIUjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--