ABSTRACT: For Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers, there are numerous challenges associated with receiving E9-1-1 service. Customers can be fixed, nomadic, or fully mobile; and locating a caller's location is critical for routing 9-1-1 calls to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) - emergency personnel cannot always rely on the caller to accurately provide location information.

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is defining solutions that will enable VoIP customer-originated emergency calls to be routed to the appropriate PSAP, based on the location from which the call was originated, and the associated location information to be delivered to the PSAP automatically. These solutions describe a migratory path for the support of VoIP-based E9-1-1 Service, and are referred to in NENA as i1, i2, and i3. SR-5286, Evolution of VoIP Emergency Calling, describes the i1, i2, and i3 Solutions for processing calls originated by VoIP customers.

The value of SR-5286 includes the following:

• Provides critical information regarding the solution architecture and interfaces that need to be supported to ensure that emergency calls originated by VoIP customers and routed via VoIP networks will receive at least the same quality of service now afforded to wireline and wireless 911 callers.
• Without the information describing the evolution of the Emergency Services solution architecture, emergency calls originated by VoIP customers risk being routed to non-emergency lines, resulting in delays in providing critical emergency services to customers in need.
• Provides a means by which VoIP Service Providers (VSPs) can meet customer demand and regulatory requirements for high quality emergency call processing, as well as providing valuable information to other industry stakeholders related to the processing of emergency calls originated by VoIP customers.

• Assists VSPs in meeting customer demands and regulatory requirements for E9-1-1 Services support. The FCC has recently mandated support for E9-1-1 Service by VSPs.
• Assists developers, manufacturers, and suppliers in providing components of the VoIP E9-1-1 solution that will be consistent with the standards being defined in NENA.
• Benefits Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) by describing the migration toward a VoIP E9-1-1 solution that will result in the timely delivery of VoIP emergency calls and caller location information.