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Emergency service calls such as 911 in United States and 122 in European Union, are not provided by every VoIP service provider. Consumers should verify it with their service provider weather they have the facility to dial 911 from their VoIP phone or what steps they can take to dial 911 through VoIP phone. Few service providers include 911 as an added service, which has to be activated before use. Sometimes, a confirmation email is also send to the consumer’s email ID, stating the approval of the emergency service.

Emergency calls from VoIP phones work differently than the traditional emergency calls from PSTN. When a 911 call is made from VoIP phone, the call is forwarded to the nearest PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) so that the call taker can provide service, but it becomes quite difficult to identify caller from computers IP address or internet phone, hence a proper database has to be maintained by the service provider which could identify the callers location.

E 911 or Enhanced 911 is a new emergency service in North America, which automatically collects caller’s information such as name and address; and then routes the call to the most appropriate PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), where the information is displayed on the call receiver’s screen instantly. Callers have to update their address if they move their house or relocate because PSAP’s are categorized according to each region. This service is very useful when the caller cannot communicate about his location on phone, especially in the events such as fire, break inns and kidnapping. Few VoIP service providers offer this service separately, which has to be activated.

Interconnected VoIP Service:

Using interconnected VoIP service, user can call 911 from his traditional phone number which is connected to internet (broadband, DSL or wireless). Interconnected VoIP service can be used for stable location such as home or moving location such as travelling; but the only criteria are that the user should be online. There are many interconnected VoIP service providers available, who provide this service by different names.

Tips for VoIP Subscribers:

Few points to remember while subscribing for interconnected VoIP service

• Provide accurate postal address and contact information so that the service can be readily dispatched to your location
• Be familiar with the procedure for updating address with service provider
• Have clear understanding of the limitations of interconnected VoIP service
• Educate children, home members and visitors about the service usage
• Maintain power backup system so that 911 can be called even if there is a power failure
• Contact your service provider to confirm if your service is a interconnected VoIP service