Phones

Voice Over IP (VoIP) cable telephone provider Vonage has negotiated access to Qwest Communications International’s 911 infrastructure. The agreement will enable Vonage customers to use Qwest’s emergency calling network so that 911 calls go directly to emergency dispatchers.

Up to now Vonage has had to route calls to administrative lines at call centers so that they can transfer them to dispatchers. This approach has raised some criticism. Qwest, the smallest of the Bell companies had previously trialled a net-phone 911 service in Rhode Island. Verizon has promised a similar trial for New York City.