Enterprise E911 Solution – Challenges and Best Practices
Enterprises must provide Enhanced 911, also known as E911, service for all 50 states in the USA and all provinces in Canada. With enterprises rapidly moving to UCaaS and users working on or off premises, the expectation is to handle 911 calls in the same way for all users, no matter their location. Therefore, it is vital to have accurate location information of the 911 caller to dispatch the emergency services to the right location. With VoIP, softphone and wireless technologies, the user's location is dynamic. The emergency location must be sent to an Emergency Routing Service (ERS) provider, which maintains a registry of public safety answering points (PSAPs) and routes the call to the correct PSAP. In addition, the enterprise's local security desk or kiosk must be notified, as they could very well be the first responders.
Laws and regulations for emergency calls are evolving in the US. The two most important federal laws are Kari's Law, enacted in February 2018 and RAY BAUM'S act of 2018, amending the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Communication act of 1934. In addition, there are state laws that further enhance these laws. The deadline to implement RAY BAUM'S act for fixed line telephones was January 6, 2021. The laws required compliance for non-fixed telephone services, including VoIP, softphones and wireless handsets, by January 6, 2022. In addition, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission has emergency service obligations for local VoIP service providers in the Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-21, dated April 4, 2005. The European Union has a similar system called E112, a location enhanced version of 112 calls. This regulation for mobile phones sold in the EU came into force on March 17, 2022. The laws in these different jurisdictions mandate that enterprises implement E911 or E112 as an obligation for the health and safety of their employees.
This article discusses challenges and best practices specifically for E911 based on our experiences with platforms and technology. We conclude with a road map for Next-Gen 911 (NG911), an evolution from E911. This article shows the importance of E911 and how we can help implement the right strategy for an enterprise.
