Private 911 Network from VoIP Inc.

VoIP Inc. said Thursday that it has released what it called the first private-network 911 service for broadband and packet communications.

The service is provided by the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, VoiceOne Communications LLC.

The company said its network provides five redundant entry points for voice-over-Internet-protocol 911 calls to enter the network through the Internet or private peering. These entry points are strategically placed geographically to provide the shortest path for a phone call originating anywhere in the United States, the company added.

“The industry has been focused on creating quick solutions to meet FCC [Federal Communications Commission] deadlines related to recent regulatory actions that require VoIP service providers to offer 911 services to customers,” VoIP Inc. CEO Steven Ivester said in a prepared statement.

“Some of these solutions continue to use unsecured and best-effort transport of the Internet for critical emergency calls,” he added. “We are changing the dynamics at VoIP Inc. with this unprecedented move to go beyond the requirements of the FCC order to help ensure reliability and quality of 911 calls. We are utilizing our private VoiceOne MPLS [Multiprotocol Label Switching] network -- along with our proprietary soft switch, selective routers and media-gateway controllers -- to provide the redundancy necessary for best quality of service for 911 calls over IP.”