TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: SBC, Vonage Working on 911 Service Access Deal

SBC, Vonage Working on 911 Service Access Deal

Jack Decker (jack-yahoogroups@withheld_on_request)
Thu, 21 Apr 2005 21:17:25 -0400

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=8259385

SBC, Vonage Working on 911 Service Access Deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - SBC Communications Inc. is in talks to provide
Internet telephone provider Vonage Holdings Corp. with enhanced 911
emergency services for its customers, after an initial fight between
the two carriers.

Initially SBC rejected a request from Vonage to lease access to the
necessary equipment and databases, preferring to focus on an
industrywide effort. Now the two sides are talking about a deal and
going over technological requirements, according to a letter from SBC
made available on Thursday.

Privately held Vonage provides its service using high-speed Internet
connections and does not have access to the traditional 911 system
where a phone number and address pop up in emergency call centers.

Instead, the company's 550,000 customers must activate a 911 service
by registering an address which is used to send calls to
lower-priority lines at call centers. That has drawn complaints that
customers are unaware they must activate the service.

"We have offered to negotiate commercial agreements ...," Christopher
Rice, SBC executive vice president for network planning and
engineering, said in an April 18 letter to Vonage Chief Executive
Jeffrey Citron.

Regardless, Rice told Vonage that the carrier would have to reach
agreements with each public safety entity for delivery of 911 calls.

Full story at:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=8259385

How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home:
http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html

If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/

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