AUSTRALIAN VoIP providers will soon be faced with regulation requiring them to provide access to emergency services numbers, but operators such as Skype will slip under the radar.
Australian VoIP providers will soon be faced with regulation requiring them to provide access to emergency services numbers
Last week the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said that some VoIP providers still don't provide access to emergency call services, and it sent out a letter to over 40 Voice over IP firms asking what technologies could be used to ensure their customers had access to the triple zero emergency services number.
ACMA is using the feedback to finalise the details of the Emergency Call Service Determination, which is due by the end of the year, but as these regulations only apply to carriers that own their own infrastructure, users of VoIP software such as Skype will be exempt.
ACMA spokesman Donald Robertson said the measures being considered included interconnection with PSTN, quality of service, provision of location information and prevention of denial of service attacks.
While he said ACMA was still considering the timeframe for providers to become compliant, the letter said the process could take at least a year based on the advice it received.
"We are aware that some leading providers have suggested that a technical solution is feasible within a 12-18 month period. The government is looking to obtain firm commitments on what can be achieved and by when''.
Engin and MyNetPhone both provide access to emergency call services and have also been discussing the measures with ACMA.
MyNetPhone technical director Rene Sugo believes it will be a tough proposition to add this functionality to an existing network.
"When we designed the network we had 00 in mind from the outset, that's the key thing ... wasn't like we were trying to bolt in onto the network after the event.
"It could be a fair bit of work, you have to look at every component on the network, all the way from the equipment the customer uses to access the service, the core of network and through to the interconnection with the PSTN, they all need to be able to handle 000 calls and if any one of those components is missing you won't be able to route 000 calls.''
He couldn't put a dollar figure on how much it might cost to provide the functionality, but said, "The sky's the limit depending on how much you spend on your network".
"It really depends on what type of network you have built. It's a complex thing to do."
VoIP providers aren't required to register with ACMA, so the agency has no idea of how many companies would be affected, but Mr Sugo believes it's the smaller players that would be hardest hit.
In the short term ACMA will push VoIP providers to raise consumer awareness of the issue by other means, including notification at the point of sale, prompting users when attempting to make a triple zero call and a targeted awareness campaign.
