How to Choose an Enterprise E911 Provider: A Buyer’s Guide

An enterprise E911 provider is a company whose service helps a business phone system meet federal 911 rules: direct 911 dialing, on-site notification, and a dispatchable location sent with every call. Providers fall into three categories, and most organizations need more than one. This guide explains what each category covers, the 911 calls none of them see, and the questions to ask before you choose.

What enterprise 911 rules require

Kari's Law and Section 506 of RAY BAUM'S Act set three requirements for multi-line telephone systems (MLTS), the phone systems used in offices, campuses, hospitals and hotels, according to the FCC's MLTS 911 rules:

• Direct dialing. A user must be able to dial 911 without a prefix such as 9.
• On-site notification. When someone dials 911, the system must alert a central location or person where someone is likely to see or hear it. The notification must say a 911 call was made and include a callback number and the caller's location, when technically feasible.
• Dispatchable location. The call must carry a validated street address plus the floor, suite, room or similar detail responders need to find the caller.

The FCC's rules apply to phone systems installed, sold or leased after February 16, 2020, and the FCC counts IP-based and cloud-based systems as MLTS (FCC MLTS FAQ). On-premises fixed phones have had to send an automated dispatchable location since January 6, 2021. Since January 6, 2022, devices users can move themselves and off-premises devices, such as a softphone at home, must send a dispatchable location when technically feasible, or another accepted form of location if not (FCC).

The obligations fall on the organization that installs, manages or operates the phone system, not only on the vendor or carrier (FCC MLTS FAQ). FCC penalties are $10,000 per violation, plus $500 for each day the violation continues. For the full legal detail, see Kari's Law and RAY BAUM'S Act: The Plain-English Guide.

Two kinds of 911 call happen on your property

Before comparing providers, decide which 911 calls you need to know about. Most properties see two kinds.

911 calls from your phone system come from desk phones, softphones and Microsoft Teams or Webex clients. The rules above cover these calls, and every E911 provider category below deals with them.

911 calls from personal cell phones go straight from the wireless carrier to the 911 center. Your phone system never handles them, so no phone system E911 provider can notify your team about them.

9Line Pinpoint closes that gap. Pinpoint draws geofences around your buildings and grounds and alerts your on-site team, with the caller's location, the instant a cell phone dials 911 inside them. Alerts go to the security, safety and internal response team members nearest the call, so teams at other sites are not paged. Pinpoint works independently of your phone system, needs no new hardware and asks nothing of callers.

The three kinds of phone system E911 provider

Carrier 911 routing

Carrier 911 routing is the 911 service attached to your SIP trunks or calling plan. It routes each 911 call to the correct 911 center and presents a callback number. A routing service works from the location your phone system sends it. In Microsoft Teams, for example, administrators map their network to emergency addresses, and the emergency service provider uses that location to pick the 911 center and pass the address to the dispatcher (Microsoft). Notifying your team on site is a separate job, handled by the phone system or another service.

On-premises location management

On-premises location management is software that runs alongside your call control and maps each phone to an emergency location. Cisco Emergency Responder, used with Cisco Unified Communications Manager, is a common example: it routes 911 calls to the local 911 center, alerts on-site staff by email or phone, logs every call, and locates phones by switch port or IP subnet (Cisco). You run the servers and keep the network map current, which means floor plans for each building, network mapping from patch panel to wall jack, and street addresses for every site. Remote users need extra configuration, such as Cisco Emergency Responder's off-premises feature.

The compliance, notification and location layer

The compliance, notification and location layer is a service that connects to your phone system and handles all three federal requirements together, without servers for you to run. It sends a dispatchable location with every 911 call, alerts your on-site team the moment someone dials, and keeps location current for remote and off-premises users.

9Line Dispatch is in this category. Dispatch integrates with Microsoft Teams (Direct Routing and Operator Connect), Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Cisco BroadWorks and Cisco Emergency Responder, with no rip-and-replace and no new hardware. Notifications go out by email, SMS or webhook with the caller's identity, location and callback number.

How to choose an enterprise E911 provider

Ask every provider the same questions, and get the answers in writing.

1. Which phone systems does it support? Name your exact platform and calling model, such as Teams Direct Routing or Operator Connect, Cisco Unified Communications Manager with or without Cisco Emergency Responder, or BroadWorks.
2. Does it send a dispatchable location for every device type? Check fixed phones, softphones and mobile clients on site, and users working from home or on the road.
3. How does on-site notification work? Ask which channels it uses, what the alert contains, and how you control who receives it.
4. What does deployment take? Ask about servers, hardware, network mapping and the time to go live at each site.
5. How do you test it? Ask whether the provider offers a 933 test number, which reads back the address and callback number on file, and how you schedule live 911 test calls to confirm routing end to end. Our 911 testing guide explains both.
6. What happens during the call? A location tells responders where to go, not what is happening there. Echo records and transcribes each 911 call, applies AI analysis to what is said, and alerts your team with the transcript and a link to the recording so a person decides what to do. 9Line is the only enterprise 911 compliance provider that analyzes what is said on the 911 call itself.
7. What about cell phones? Ask whether you will know when someone dials 911 from a cell phone on your property. A phone system provider cannot see those calls; a geofencing service such as Pinpoint can.
8. What evidence will you have for an audit? Ask what records the provider keeps of configuration, test calls and notifications.

Frequently asked questions

What is an enterprise E911 provider?

An enterprise E911 provider is a company whose service helps a business phone system meet federal 911 rules for direct dialing, on-site notification and dispatchable location. Providers fall into three categories: carrier 911 routing, on-premises location management, and the compliance, notification and location layer.

Does my carrier make my phone system 911 compliant?

No, not by itself. FCC rules put the direct dialing, notification and dispatchable location obligations on the organization that installs, manages or operates the phone system. A carrier 911 routing service routes the call, but on-site notification and building-level location depend on how your phone system is set up.

Do Kari's Law and RAY BAUM'S Act apply to every phone system?

Kari's Law and RAY BAUM'S Act apply to phone systems installed, sold or leased after February 16, 2020. Older systems are exempt under the federal rules, but a major upgrade can bring one into scope, some states have their own laws for older systems, and any phone system you install today is covered.

Do E911 providers cover 911 calls from cell phones?

No. 911 calls from personal cell phones go from the wireless carrier straight to the 911 center, so no phone system E911 provider sees them. 9Line Pinpoint alerts your on-site team when a cell phone dials 911 inside the geofences you define.

How 9Line helps

9Line covers both kinds of 911 call on your property. Pinpoint alerts your team to cell phone 911 calls, Dispatch makes Microsoft Teams, Cisco and BroadWorks phone systems compliant, and Echo tells your team what is happening on the call. Schedule a demo and we will review your phone system and properties and show where you stand.

Sources

• Federal Communications Commission, Multi-line Telephone Systems: Kari's Law and RAY BAUM'S Act 911 Direct Dialing, Notification, and Dispatchable Location Requirements
• Federal Communications Commission, Frequently Asked Questions: 911 Direct Dialing, Notification, and Dispatchable Location Requirements for MLTS
• Communications Act penalties: 47 U.S.C. 501 and 47 U.S.C. 502
• Microsoft, Plan and configure dynamic emergency calling
• Cisco, Understand Emergency Responder