VoIP provider association not happy with E911 architecture

The head of the Canadian Association of VoIP Providers (CAVP) John Lange says the nomadic VoIP E911 architecture adopted by the CRTC this month is too complicated and will almost certainly be too expensive to implement. In a December 7 decision, the commission said an ILEC proposed model, based on a modified version of the National Emergency Numbering Association's (NENA) i2 standard, met the guidelines for E911 and kick started a process to evaluate the economic viability of the ILECs' proposal. According to NENA i2, the location of VoIP devices on the network is established as soon as they connect to the network. However, under the ILEC proposal, which is a modified version of NENA i2, VoIP device location information will not be transmitted to the correct public safety answering point (PSAP) until a 911 call is initiated. Lange says these fundamental differences will lead to increased costs for Canadians. "If there's savings to be had by more closely adhering to the NENA i2 standard than this customized ILEC solution, we should be doing that," Lange tells Network Letter. "We should be buying off-the-shelf solutions and not doing Canada-only solutions that aren't necessary." Lange doesn't buy the need to modify the NENA i2 standard in the first place, despite calls from some parties to have a solution that reflects the Canadian realities. "I think that's a smoke screen," he says. "I don't think the Canadian context is so dramatically different from the American one that we need to do something more complicated. If anything, our situation is simpler in that we have fewer PSAPs, a smaller population and much fewer numbers of local carriers."Now that the proposal will undergo an economic assessment, there is still an opportunity to change the ILEC model. While Lange is hopeful, he doubts changes will be made. He says with economic data due in April, another round of technical meetings could come next fall, meaning new technology developments could open the door for a less complex system. "I would say there is room in the process , but at this moment, I'm not particularly optimistic that it'll happen," he says. Despite what appears to be a big loss for VoIP providers, Lange says there were elements in the decision that are a boon to his members, such as highlighting that the cost to upgrade networks for this should be shared by all 911 subscribers not just those of the VoIP providers. If this doesn't happen, then VoIP might disappear. "If they burden the upgrades to the 911 system entirely on the shoulders of nomadic VoIP users...it price VoIP right out of the market completely," he states, suggesting that it could conceivably cost tens of dollars per subscriber. "If it's shared across all 911 subscribers then it does not provide an advantage to any technology over another."

VoIP provider association not happy with E911 architecture

News | 12/17/2007 7:00 pm EST

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