ADDRESSING E-911 COMPLIANCE WITH VOIP SYSTEMS - GENE MALONE & HERB CONGDON TYCO ELECTRONICS
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Addressing E-911 Compliance
with VoIP Systems
Gene Malone & Herb Congdon
Tyco ElectronicsPreview
• Review key y requirements
q of applicable
pp
ordinances
• Compare traditional and modern methods
for compliance
• Provide guidance on other aspects of IP
asset managementHow it is supposed to work…
work
• Pick up any phone
– even “disconnected” phones
• Dial 9-1-1
• Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) answers
– Sees phone # and exact location
• Appropriate first responders dispatched
• Help arrives in a timely manner
• Everyone lives happily ever after9-1-1 • Started in 1968 • Connects the caller to the local police station • Did not identify caller or location • Provided P id d access tto emergency services i
Enhanced 9-1-1 (E911)
• Started in 1970
• Connects the caller to a Public Safety Answering Point
(PSAP)
– Associates a physical address with the calling party's telephone
u be , a
number, and
d routes
ou es the
e ca
call to
o the
e most
os app
appropriate
op a e PSAP
S for
o
that address
– The source number is used to look up the Emergency Service
Number (ESN) of the appropriate call center (PSAP) in a
database and connect the call
• Provides access to the caller location information (CLI)
of emergency calls
– Street map display
– Nearest available emergency responders
– Other relevant information (fire hydrants, hazardous materials,
etc.)Enhanced 9-1-1 (E911)
• A caller's telephone number and location
information is gathered by mapping the calling
phone number to an address in a database
– Automatic
A t ti Location
L ti Identification
Id tifi ti (ALI)
• The database is generally maintained by the
local telephone company
company, under a contract with
the PSAP
• Each telephone company has its own standards
for the formatting of the databaseVOIP and 9-1-1
• Call routing established by service provider
– May go to a non-emergency number at the PSAP
based on billing or service address
– May not go anywhere at all
• A VOIP adapter
d t can be b plugged
l d iinto
t any
broadband internet connection
– The caller could be thousands of miles away from the
billing address - not the actual location of the callVOIP and 9-1-1
• Most VOIP users who dial 9-1-1 are connected to a call
center owned or contracted by their provider
• The operators are there to connect the caller to the
appropriate emergency service or PSAP, usually one in
th generall area
the
• A 9-1-1 operator at that PSAP must then determine the
location of the emergency,
g y, and either send help
p directly,
y,
or transfer the caller to the appropriate PSAP
– In April 2008, an 18-month-old boy in Alberta died after a VoIP
provider's 9-1-1 operator had an ambulance dispatched to the
family's previous address in OntarioApplicable Ordinances
VOIP and 9-1-1
• In March 2005, a commercial Internet telephony
provider was sued by a state attorney general,
alleging they did not make it clear enough that
the provision of 9
9-1-1
1 1 service was not done in
the traditional manner
• In May 2005, the FCC issued an order requiring
VoIP providers to offer 9-1-1 service to all their
subscribersApplicable Ordinances
• Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act
of 1999
– VoIP E911 is not required; customers may opt-out
VoIP E911 information is only accurate if subscribers are
diligent
– Burden of responsibility upon the subscribers and not
the providers
• Communications Assistance for Law
Enforcement Act of 1994
– Lumped common carriers, facilities-based broadband
I t
Internet
t access providers,
id and
d providers
id off
interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
service as “telecommunications carriers” and must
meet the requirements of CALEA
CALEA.Applicable Ordinances
• In 2005, the FCC issued “E911
Requirements for IP-Enabled Service
q g VOIP p
Providers”, requiring providers to:
– Provide Enhanced 911 service
– Disclose anyy limitations on their E-911
functionality to their consumers
– Obtain affirmative acknowledgements
g of
these disclosures from all consumersApplicable Ordinances
• The New and Emerging Technologies 911
Improvement Act of 2008
– Removes obstacles to full 9-1-1
i t
interconnection
ti
VoIP service providers must interconnect with the
p
911 telephone trunk,, which is owned and
controlled by their competitors
– Granted interconnection rights to
interconnected VoIP services
VoIP over broadband that interconnects with the
public switch telephone networkApplicable Ordinances
• The New and Emerging Technologies 911
I
Improvement
t Act
A t off 2008
– Other proposed features are intended to allow
p
telephone callers from large
g corporate
p telephone
p
networks, on both traditional and VoIP PBXs, to be
located down to the specific office on a particular floor
g
of a building
– The Commission may delegate authority to enforce
the regulations issued under subsection (c) to State
commissions or other State or local agencies or
programs with jurisdiction over emergency
communicationsApplicable Ordinances
• State and Municipalities
p
– Examples:
Chicago
First to establish “location within 90 feet” requirement
Virginia
Established the “location of the phone”
– “Location” not clearly defined
“On
On the same floor”
floor may be implied,
implied but is not
specifically stated
Uncertainty up to +/- 8 floorsApplicable Ordinances
• E911 locates building
– Relies on individual (representative) to identify to
locate actual space
– Requirements for a building representative
How many do you assign/train?
How do you ensure one is available at all times?
How do they get the phone location (office) information?
How do you ensure it is accurate?
– Advise employees that “we
we may not be able to find
you”
Labels on phones?Legacy PBX
• Commercial buildings with traditional landline
phones
– E911 can identify main extension and maybe building
location
– Gets first responders to the main entrance
– Need local representative to find specific location
Relies on multiple communication efforts
A greeter/responder at the facility
High-rise
Hi h i b building
ildi uncertainties
t i ti
Large campus uncertaintiesLegacy PBX
• Locations are assigned to the outlet at the patch
panel
• Phone numbers stay at the outlet and don’t
follow the phone
– Phones are unassigned devices and are considered
mobile
• Easier to control the process of changing the
phone number
– PBX personnel familiar with the process
– Lines that are moved require
q documentation updates
pVOIP PBX
• Commercial buildings
g with VOIP Phone
Systems
VOIP systems need upfront programming
Zone IP addressing
Since phone numbers stay with the IP phone,
VOIP phones need to stay in assigned locations
Zone control of IP, subnet and patch assignments
to switch ports require more regulated
administration to change locations
Unlike traditional phonesVOIP PBX
• Phones are assigned devices
– But
B t often
ft treated
t t d as mobile
bil devices
d i
• Locations are not assigned
– Mayy be tracked in a database
• Phone numbers are assigned to the VOIP
device
– If the phone moves
moves, the number moves
• Phone is not tied to a specific location
– Location ((90 feet)) is determined byy the IP address,
not the phone
• Building representative may still be necessaryVOIP PBX
• Traditional E911 Solutions for VOIP
– Quadrant assignment and dedicated port patching
Inefficient use of IP addresses (switches)
Dedicated port patching by ‘zone’
zone
More complexity in IP addressing – none of it is standardized
Reduces efficiency of VOIP system
– Lock down the floor - only specific subnets are
assigned to IP addresses
– Separate switchgear for VOIP system
• Only helps to generalize the locationHow can you find the IP Phone
location?IP Phone Location
• Manual database
– Moves and add-ons still require manual
database updates
• IP Address and Zone Management
– Identifies the zone - then search from thereIP Phone Location
• Asset Tracking
g vs. Manual Database
– Automatically updates with an IIM System
Consistently accurate
– Accuracy of location improvements
Zone assignments may not be that specific
– Can overlay with access to the floor plan
– Soft p
phones in PCs
Placing E911 calls from laptopsIIMS VOIP and E911 Processes
IIMS,
• IIM Systems can support E911 with various
levels of Integration
– Full Integration: Software to Software
– Data Integration: Data pushed to VOIP Mgmt
– Manual Look-up: Stand-alone IIM
• Information can be shared:
– In real time as the VoIP asset moves
– On-demand when the 911 call is made
– Physically on manual look-up (Drawing or escort)
• E
Each
h process presentt unique
i concerns and
d
requirementsIIMS VOIP and E911 Automation
IIMS,
• The level of automation and p
processes is
driven by a number of factors
– E911 Call center technology gy
– VOIP Management Platform
– IIM System software
– Site specific labeling of Phones, Outlets,
offices,, etc.
– Cost of integration
– Desired outputIIMS VOIP and E911
IIMS,
• For a VOIP PBX Emergency Call
– Company response personnel receive notification
with room number
• How? Processes range from:
–OOn-Demand
D d manuall llook-up
k
– VOIP PBX queries IIMS database with MAC address
– The IIM System sends an alert (screen pop
pop, text
message and/or email) to the response staff with
caller’s room/cube number and locationIP Asset Management
• VOIP Phone one example of IP devices
• Security
– Identifyy and locate rogue
g devices on network
device and data
• Capital Expense
– IP devices cost money
• Servicing
– Finding devices for service and preventive
maintenanceIP Asset and Infrastructure
Management
• Regulatory Compliance
• Forensic enabling
• Process improvement
– MACs
MAC
Work orders for VOIP phone deployments
matches locations and MAC/phone# addresses
Removes the human error factor
– Documentation accuracy = reliability
Improves problem resolution
Reduces overall IT downtime
– Remote location visibilityTroubleshoot and Recovery
• Reliability
y
– Better control and management of the
physical layer
– Recovery
Corrective steps
– Assurance
– Alerts
Notification Hierarchy
Escalation until response detectedTroubleshoot and Recovery • Redundancy – Database backups – Cold/Hot standby with access to database • No one system should hamstring the response • Appropriate location identities – Structural references – Graphical
IIM Systems Beyond VOIP
• Physical location awareness
– asset/phone
t/ h tracking
t ki
– automatic updates
– room information (outlet)
– graphical
hi l representation
t ti
• Improved utilization of network equipment
– Not limited in network configurations
– Not limited in IP address assignments
• Troubleshooting and service
• Deployment efficiency and accuracy
• Legacy PBX outlet to phone number documentationLiability Issues
• Tied to p
polling
g interval
– set by user
– trade-off between timeliness and performance
p
• Zone setupLooking Ahead
• Next-generation 911 services allow for
emergency callsll ffrom non-phone
h d
devices
i such
h
as security cameras, alarms and consumer
electronics in automobiles
• Ideas were under discussion during
g the
commission's December meeting
• 911 Systems are less sophisticated than the
devices that connect to themConclusion
• VOIP pphones and systems
y create
challenges for emergency response
• Legislation continues to evolve to level the
playing field between PBX and VOIP with
respect to 9-1-1 servicesSummary
• IIM Systems provide mechanisms for
specific location identification and phone
tracking that can supplement and improve
existing
i ti mechanisms
h i
• IIM Systems provide additional features
and benefits that enhance the security and
efficienc of the entire IP ph
efficiency physical
sical la
layer
er
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