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VoIP Emergency Calls Now A Must |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Wednesday, 07 November 2007 |
Amendments to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2002
now confirm the obligation for service providers to provide
free-of-charge access calls to Triple Zero from voice over internet
protocol (VoIP) services with both dial-in and dial-out functionality.
‘These amendments provide greater certainty for consumers about
access to police, fire and ambulance assistance, as new and innovative
services are introduced,' said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.
‘Many VoIP
providers already provide free-of-charge access for emergency calls,
and the amended Determination makes it very clear that from today all
VoIP providers of two-way services are obligated to provide access to
Triple Zero and the special emergency number (106) for the Deaf and
hearing impaired community.'
According to the new rules, the VoIP services also need to be included in the Integrated Public
Number Database (IPND) so emergency call operators will know to ask for location information.
The ruling applies to all two-way VoIP services which are services which can make calls to and
receive calls from the PSTN and includes
services that are dial-in and dial-out services.
The ACMA and the Department of
Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) recently wrote to
more than forty Australian providers of VoIP services urging them to
find technical solutions so that all users of VoIP services can have
access to the emergency call numbers.
The two regulatory organisations asked for "firm indications" of what solutions are
currently available and when other solutions will be implemented, accroding to ta statement. While
technical solutions are being developed, it is expected there will be a
commitment from providers to undertake a range of proposed consumer
awareness raising measures.
Australia's primary emergency call service number is Triple
Zero (000), which can be dialled from any fixed or mobile phone. There
are also two secondary emergency call service numbers: 112, which is
available from all GSM mobile phones and 106, which connects to the
text-based relay service for people who are Deaf or who have a hearing
or speech impairment. All calls to the emergency numbers, whether from
fixed, mobile or payphones, are free of charge.
Emergency calls are initially handled by Emergency Call
Persons (ECPs). ACMA's Telecommunications (Emergency Call Person)
Determination 1999 specifies Telstra as the ECP for 000 and 112 and the
Australian Communication Exchange Ltd as the ECP for 106.
ECPs determine from the caller which emergency service is required
and establish the location of the caller through information from the
IPND and from the caller. The ECP then
switches the call to the pre-nominated answer point for the requested
emergency service organisation.
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