Teo announces that Vassar College is the latest higher education institution to select its leading Enhanced 911 (E911) Emergency Response System. Vassar selected Teo's E911 system to improve its ability to identify the origin of 911 calls coming from its campus.

Many organizations have internal response teams that need to have precise situational information when a 911 call occurs. With conventional PBX technology, public E911 first responders often will not get location information that identifies a secondary building, floor or office the call came from -- only the street address of the primary business location.

eTelemetry announces that its LENS and Locate911 solutions are compliant with a key telephony communication solution from Avaya. LENS (Locate911 Emergency Notification System) and Locate911-N enable organizations to identify the exact station that initiated an emergency call and where to find them so that internal personnel can provide first response and direct emergency services. The LENS On-Site Notifications deliver location information via a Windows-based desktop alert agent and via email to multiple recipients. Industry-first map links within alerts provide added insurance that responders will know where to go in an emergency. LENS limits organizational liability and helps meet E911 regulations by providing alerts including life-saving location information for emergency responders immediately whenever a 911 call is made. Locate911-N automates VoIP phone tracking, ensuring data accuracy for improved emergency response and E911 compliance. The applications now are compliance-tested by Avaya for compatibility with: Communication Server 1000 Release 6.0.

Dash Carrier Services announces that it will be the exclusive E911 emergency service solutions provider for Gizmo5. Gizmo5 offers VoIP services to both consumers and businesses. Users can make and receive calls from any computer with browser access to the Internet, or use Gizmo5 to power IP phones. Also, Gizmo5 adds a host of features like call recording, IM, file sharing, and much more. Setting up a Gizmo5 account is free, as are inbound calls to a Gizmo client, with a small fee for outbound dialing.

TeleCommunication Systems announces that it supports the efforts of the National Emergency Number Association to prohibit state legislatures from raiding critical 9-1-1 funding. The economic recession has devastated the revenues of many states, forcing legislatures to search for extra dollars in other areas of their budgets. Many states have found caches of money in 9-1-1 funds that have been accumulated by 9-1-1 authorities over the years to pay for equipment and service upgrades. The redirection of these funds could have disastrous consequences on the preparedness and future viability of many 9-1-1 authorities to upgrade their technologies as needed.

Technology Marketing Corporation named TCS' VoIP Verify 9-1-1 Service as recipient of a 2008 Communications Solutions Product of the Year Award. VoIP Verify 9-1-1 provides a comprehensive and responsive public safety solution to ensure that customers using digital VoIP telephones are E9-1-1 compatible.

VIXXI Solutions has developed an online application that 9-1-1 dispatchers can use to pull up location information for VoIP callers in the rare case that only the call-back number or ESQK is delivered. The tool, called VIXXI-NRF (for ‘No Record Found’), saves valuable time over the traditional method of having to call a provider’s help desk in the middle of an emergency situation.

Dash Carrier Services has formed a strategic relationship with VIXXI Solutions, as a value added vendor of E911 services for its dash911 services suite. More than 180 Voice Service Providers across North America utilize dash911, the Company’s core E911 emergency services offering.

The Next Generation 911 vision is being developed in response to the E911 needs of emerging technologies. It is vital that all participants in the 911 community, from telecommunications service providers to public safety answering points, understand the intent of Next Generation 911 and prepare themselves for the inevitable. As several organizations, including the FCC and the National Emergency Number Association, iron out the details, a clear picture has emerged of the overall intent and high-level design of Next Generation 911, as defined here. Understanding the direction and implementing its necessary steps will give service providers, PSAPs, and enterprises a leading edge.

Westcon Group has signed an agreement with RedSky Technologies to distribute two of its high-performance E911 software solutions. These solutions E911 Manager and E911 Anywhere are both now available through Westcon Group North America. In addition, RedSky is participating in Westcon's ConvergencePoint program.

RedSky's flagship product, E911 Manager, is a high performance enterprise-wide server-based E911 solution that works within Avaya, Cisco and Nortel networking environments. Meanwhile, RedSky's E911 Anywhere Hosted solution, delivers E911 functionality to SMBs through a monthly service plan.

InterAct911 has closed on a $28 million equity round of capital led by new investors Foundation Capital and Bay Partners, joining existing investor SilkRoad Equity. Plans for the current round of capital include a significant expansion of InterAct’s worldwide direct sales and marketing efforts, strategic acquisitions and new product development. Warren Weiss, general partner of Foundation Capital, and Eric Chin, general partner of Bay Partners, will join the company’s board of directors.

XO Communications announces a new referral agreement with VIXXI Solutions in which XO will refer current and future XO VoIP customers to VIXXI as an E911 provider. VIXXI was chosen because their IP-based, geospatial technology is ideal for VoIP vendors who are required by the FCC to provide their customers with an E911 Solution that identifies caller location information and correctly routes emergency calls to the appropriate PSAP.

E911 is commanding even greater attention in the VoIP market as Monday's FCC ruling became more stringent and reports of casualties related to VoIP E911 limitations are publicized. Not only could the liability of ignoring emerging 911 capabilities be disastrous for a VoIP company, sales could also suffer as consumers are beginning to seriously evaluate 911 functionality in their voice buying decisions. To be competitive, VoIP companies are getting in front of FCC compliance and consumer demand for public safety. Historically, 911 technology enhancement was cost-prohibitive for VoIP providers, but rising IP-based E911 companies are allowing them to compete both on technology innovation and price, due to a lower cost infrastructure.

The FCC recently adopted new 911 rules for VoIP service providers. These rules, set out in the NET 911 Improvement Act signed into law by President Bush in July, require that VSPs have access to the 911 system and that their customers be able to make emergency calls that are routed directly to the local public safety answering point. 911 Enable provides an Emergency Routing Service that helps VSPs meet these requirements.

Level 3 Communications has extended its relationship with Vixxi Solutions to support that company's network connectivity to E-911 private and dedicated infrastructures. Supporting Vixxi's deployment of FCC-compliant nomadic 911 services to VoIP service providers, Level 3 now serves as a primary provider of E-911 network connectivity for Vixxi.

Vonage applaudes President Bush's signing into law of the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008. This new act grants long awaited rights and protection to VoIP service providers to interconnect to the traditional 911 network operated by incumbent telephone providers.

"Vonage is grateful to the President and Congress for making this legislation a reality. It will enable Vonage and other VoIP providers to better support first responders in times of emergency," said Jeffrey Citron, Chairman, Chief Strategist, and Interim CEO of Vonage. "While over 98% of our subscriber lines already have access to E911, enactment of this law provides additional tools and leadership for platform neutral, responder friendly safety communications."