E911

Overview

E911, or Enhanced 911, is a standard loosely agreed upon by telecommunication providers to provide 911 access over non-traditional telecommunications lines. It allows for users to dial 911 from their phone systems and reach a local PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) or a national PSAP that connects callers to a local one.

Years ago, 911 access was physically linked to the location from which a user was dialing 911 because there was a literal copper wire connecting the user and the telecommunications provider. With the rise of VoIP - 911 became much more difficult because there was no direct link between the user and the provider. 

In order to provide users with 911, VoIP Providers generally enter into agreements with old-fashioned PSTN networks to allow for 911 calls to be transmitted. Indeed - this is what Skyetel has done. 

How to enable E911

From the Local Phone Numbers section in the Skyetel Portal, click on the small blue gear:

Then enable E911:

Once E911 is enabled, you will see it as Enabled in the Local Phone Numbers section:

Configure E911 on your PBX

With Skyetel configured as your primary trunk, you only need to send us 911 or 933. However, please make sure that your outbound Caller ID is 11 digits and matches EXACTLY the number that you enabled E911 on. 

Test E911

Skyetel strongly recommends that you test 911. In order to do this, we have enabled an automatic service that allows you to test 911 without actually calling 911. To test 911, please dial 933 with E911 enabled. 

E911 Disclosures