Internet telephony company Vonage now routes 911 calls to the nearest answering center based on the address information provided by the customer. In the past, Vonage customers heard a rapid busy signal when dialing the emergency number.
Vonage users plug their phones and a broadband cable into a box provided by the company. The box converts analog phone calls into digital data and sends them over the Internet.
Vonage admits that the 911 service, developed by Intrado, is far from foolproof. The company is working on other solutions that do not require customers to keep their addresses up to date. One problem is that the Vonage box is portable.
"Someone could use a box at home 90 percent of the time, and then go to a hotel room," said Louis Holder, a Vonage executive vice president.
Ultimately, the company plans to figure out the address automatically based on the Internet address or other data sent along with the call. The company also said it would be possible to automatically transfer medical data to the 911 operator using Vonage.
Edison, N.J.-based Vonage has nearly 20,000 customers.
Still, Internet telephony continues to have drawbacks, including its reliance on the speed and reliability of the underlying Internet connection, which can be lost during a power outage.
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