VoIP phone service has arguably become of huge interest to the general populace, despite the problems Vonage has been having in the stock market lately. They’re the first VoIP-related company to go IPO, but they won’t be the last. Despite the popularity of VoIP service and softphone client software such as Skype, one of the drawbacks is the lack of a proper 911 emergency calling system.

The problem is that while a VoIP phone (soft or hard) could dial 911, there is currently no easy way to determine where the emergency call is coming from. Implementing e-911 service is something that the FCC in the US decided in 2005 to enforce upon VoIP service providers. A couple of companies have some solutions.

Dash911 offers an enhanced 911 emergency calling system for VoIP providers. At present, their coverage area covers the United States and Canada. According to the website, their system transports 911 calls over dedicated TDM/PSTN (Time-Division Multiplexing/ Public Switched Telephone Network) circuits instead of the Internet. Pricing info is on their site. 911VoIP in Canada and their US sister firm API offer a similar solution.

VoIP end-users (i.e., general public) cannot purchase these services from these companies. They must go through their VoIP provider, who decides which solution they are offering. That means that VoIP subscribers are at the mercy of their provider to have a reliable emergency calling system. I’m not so sure that this makes me comfortable. I’d rather have the choice in my own hands.

Personally, I was thinking of a different solution, one that involves GPS and GIS.  My idea would be to enable VoIP phones with a GPS chip. Electronic-privacy advocates might flinch at the ability of some third-party service to know where you are at all times. So I’m suggesting that this be a chip that can be enabled and disabled on demand. When a special 911 button is pressed, the GPS capabilities kick in, and a monitoring service picks up the signal via satellite. (When the call is over, the GPS turns off.)

The e-911 monitoring service then determines the location of the call via a GIS system, and the proper authorities are then notified. Keep in mind that each VoIP subscriber would be in a database run by the monitoring service. Like the 911VoIP service, medical data for the caller could even be kept on record.

Ideally, such a service could be a collaboration of a consortium of police departments, fire departments and hospitals across North America, run by an approved consultancy. But the likelihood of such happening is slim, given that department budgets are typically insufficient, and the amount of bureaucracy that would be involved.