9-1-1: It's different

Your safety is paramount

babyTEL's 9-1-1 Service provides you a reliable means of reaching help in times of emergency. It is important that you understand how it works, how it differs from traditional phone service and what you must do to ensure that it works smoothly - when you need it. It is equally important that you inform all other potential users of your babyTEL line of the differences and limitations.

Differences:

What you must do:

(1) Activate 9-1-1 Service: You must activate the 9-1-1 Service. This requires you to fill in your address, acknowledge that you understand the limitations of the technology and give your consent. This form is offered to you when you subscribe to the babyTEL service.

(2) Update your address: If you have changed your location, login to your account and update your address.

(3) In an emergency: Call 9-1-1 and state the emergency in a clear, calm and discernible voice. In areas where E9-1-1 is not available, the emergency dispatcher will ask you to confirm your current location. When confirming your address, mention any distinguishing landmarks that may help the emergency services personnel locate you quickly.

Do not hang up until told to do so by the emergency services personnel. If you get disconnected, call back immediately.
To allow emergency services personnel to call you back subsequently, should they need to, observe the following:
(a) Ensure that Call Forwarding and Do-not-disturb are NOT activated.
(b) Ensure that your telephone ringer is NOT set to OFF.

How it works:

Determining your location

Due to the portability of VoIP service, babyTEL cannot know your current location unless you keep us advised of changes at all times. babyTEL relies on a valid address that you provide at the time you subscribed or updated subsequently by logging in to your account. This is important to bear in mind. Wrong or outdated information may mean a delay in response time.

For purposes of the 9-1-1 Service, you may only register one location at a time for each babyTEL phone line you use with the service. When you move to another location, you must register your new location. If you do not register your new location, any call you make using the 9-1-1 Service will be sent to an emergency center near your old address.

Dispatching help

Most babyTEL customers have access to either basic 9-1-1 or Enhanced 9-1-1 (E9-1-1) service. With E9-1-1 service, when you dial 9-1-1, your telephone number and registered address is automatically sent to the local emergency center assigned to your location. With this information, emergency operators are able to send help and call you back if needed. If you are in a location where the emergency center is not equipped to receive your telephone number and address, you have basic 9-1-1. With this service, the operator answering your call will not have your callback number or your exact location, so you must give them this information. Until you give the operator your phone number, he/she may not be able to dispatch help or call you back. As more and more local emergency centers acquire the capability of receiving telephone numbers and associated addresses, babyTEL will automatically upgrade customers with basic 9-1-1 to E9-1-1 service.

If you don't have access to either basic 9-1-1 or E9-1-1 your 9-1-1 call will be sent to the national emergency call center where an agent will ask for your name, telephone number and location. The agent will then contact the appropriate local emergency center that will dispatch help to the location that you verbally provide. Examples of situations where 9-1-1 calls will be sent to the national emergency call center:

• (a) There is a problem validating a customer's address.
• (b) The customer is identified with an international location.
• (c) The customer is located in an area that is not covered by the E9-1-1 network.

Should I test the 9-1-1 Service?

No. You do not need to do this. When you activate the service or subsequently update your address particulars, you will receive a confirmation email from babyTEL informing you that your 9-1-1 Service is active and functioning.

Note that dialing 9-1-1 when there is no emergency may be a punishable offence in some states. If you have dialed 9-1-1 by mistake, immediately inform the operator that there is NO emergency.

Cost of Service

There is a small, flat monthly fee for the babyTEL 9-1-1 service. This amount appears as a separate item on your monthly statement. There are no additional usage charges.

Reliability and good practice

The babyTEL 9-1-1 Service is operated in conformance with FCC directives for nomadic VoIP services.

babyTEL has made every effort to make the 9-1-1 Service as reliable as possible through adherence to the highest standards. Unfortunately, like all other emergency services, there exists a small likelihood of failure due to network congestion, data errors or equipment malfunction. This is particularly true during a natural (or man-made) disaster when networks, switches and lines are jammed or busy due to abnormal traffic. As 9-1-1 is not the only way to reach emergency personnel, it is advisable to keep at hand, direct numbers for the police, fire department, paramedics, etc. FOR THESE REASONS, BABYTEL STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF ACCESSING TRADITIONAL 9-1-1 SERVICES DURING POWER OUTAGES OR INTERNET FAILURE. THIS COULD BE A TRADITIONAL LANDLINE OR A CELL PHONE.

Please feel free to contact us for any clarifications.

see all FAQ categories