Vonage Official Says Bells Are Cooperating in E911 Tests
The “tricky thing” in providing enhanced 911 (E911) service to VoIP customers isn’t technology but rather access to emergency networks, Vonage Vp Chris Murray said at a panel Mon. sponsored by the National Press Club. Murray said Vonage is getting some Bells to cooperate for tests of Vonage’s VoIP-based E911 solution over their networks. Vonage has had a successful trial over Qwest’s network; Verizon is “way out front” on testing the system, he said. Vonage is working with Verizon on a “forward-looking solution” across N.Y.C., plus areas of N.Y. state and northern N.J., Murray said. BellSouth and SBC, which have voiced reservations about Vonage’s tests (CD March 31 p1), have shown willingness to talk about the project, he said: “They're at the table and we're talking.”
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SBC wrote to Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron on April 1 saying it still doesn’t favor “proprietary, non-standard solutions” such as that proposed by Vonage but is willing to meet with company representatives to discuss the project. SBC emphasized, however, that it’s “merely the vendor of the emergency services network and databases” in most cases. Use of those networks requires cooperation from the public safety officials for whom the networks were developed, SBC said in the letter.
Verizon Regulatory Policy Dir. David Young announced at the panel that Verizon has introduced a less-expensive VoIP service that offers 500 minutes of outbound calling a month for $19.95, compared with $29.95 for the original service. He said Verizon supports policies promoting broadband investment while protecting Internet openness. BellSouth Assistant Vp Eric Schwartz said it’s “almost ironic” that while policymakers have struggled for 9 years to stimulate voice competition through regulatory intervention, competition happened on its own through technologies such as VoIP and wireless.
Shashi Phoha, dir.-NIST Information Technology Lab, warned that NIST has found security “vulnerabilities” in VoIP services and has told govt. workers to be careful in moving to the new technology. “In some cases, rapid adoption [of VoIP] is preceding careful security analysis and protection,” she said. Existing firewalls and encryption aren’t “directly usable” when companies and agencies move to VoIP phones, she said.
Ed Cameron, dir. of advanced telecom services for USDA’s Rural Utilities Service, said neither broadband over power lines (BPL) nor satellite broadband is effective at getting phone service to very rural areas of the country -- areas “outside the clusters” of small towns. Both technologies often are mentioned as cost- effective ways to provide phone service in rural areas but both have problems, he said. BPL is “not a very promising rural solution” because “the power grid is even less hospitable to high frequencies” than telephone service, Cameron said. Satellite broadband “is a promising technology for broadband access but not for VoIP because delays inherent in satellite service lessen the “spontaneity of the telephone call.” Cameron said this problem could be eased in the future if the delay is cut.