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Nuvio offers E-911 service with VoIP PBX

Feb 24, 2005 1:40 PM, By Donny Jackson

Voice-over-IP provider Nuvio today announced the launch of E911 services for its NuvioCentrex product, which is a hosted IP-based PBX for small and medium-sized businesses.

Unlike many VoIP 911 efforts, Nuvio’s solution delivers 911 calls to a public-safety answering point (PSAP) dispatcher with callback and location information, Nuvio President and CEO Jason Talley said. Talley said the E-911 capability will be embedded in the new NuvioCentrex product and that existing customers will receive the E-911 service upgrade during the next 30 days.

“Solving the 911 issue is a step-by-step process,” Talley said. “We think this is the next step.”

However, Talley acknowledged that the Nuvio solution only works with “static” VoIP phones that do not change location. PSAPs officials nationwide have expressed concern that portable, or “nomadic,” VoIP services such as those offered by Vonage and Skype do not automatically provide accurate location information.

“Truly, there’s no way to do the nomadic 911, unless you know of a new technology that we don’t know about,” Talley said.

Talley spoke to MRT in a phone call from the floor of the Internet Telephony Conference in Miami, where he will speak later today as part of a panel session entitled, “What’s the deal with E-911?” For the most part, Talley said he believes E-911 concerns about VoIP offerings are being overstated.

“911 is not as big of a deal as some people make it out to be,” Talley said. “I think the PSAPs are worried they’re going to lose their funding source, which I think is false.”