I got this today.

>X-SMAP-Received-From: outside
>From: "Tung, Tailey" <[email protected]>
>To: "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]>,
>        "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]>,
>        "Tung; Tailey" <[email protected]>, [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected], [email protected],
>        [email protected]
>Cc: "'[email protected]'" <[email protected]>
>Subject: RE: E911 & Virtual PBX
>Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 10:08:24 -0700
>X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2448.0)
>
>Phil, TR41.3.4 Chair
>
>You may be interested to read the following emails from John Comb of Cisco
>expressing concerns of E911 compliance on internet or virtual PBX.  
>
>As internet E911 caller location identification will involve I think at
>least the following 4 areas:
>1.  Charging / billing and security.
>2.  Configurations and interfaces.
>3.  Call control procedures and information flow.
>4.  Naming & address translation issues.
>
>Do you have any plan or resources to include E911 compliance in your working
>group for voice over IP products?  
>
>Sincerely
>
>Tailey
>TR41.1 Chair 
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:        [email protected] [SMTP:[email protected]]
>> Sent:        Thursday, April 29, 1999 7:49 AM
>> To:  Tung; Tailey; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]
>> Subject:     RE: E911 & Virtual PBX
>> 
>> Tailey and all,
>> 
>> Two comments to John's email:
>> 
>> 1. The responsibility for compliance to the laws fall on the user of the
>> premise. Any direct compulsory requirement on the manufacturer will come
>> as a
>> result of an FCC action that never seems to come.
>> 
>> 2. The problem of location identity of an IP caller is, although
>> technically
>> different, not unlike the challenges of wireless location. In either case
>> there
>> is no finite terminal endpoint location fixed that can be reliably used
>> for
>> location, and the used can move about the facility without the system
>> easily
>> determining where they are now connected. Further, in both cases it is
>> possible
>> because of the standardization of the interfaces that the terminals are
>> not of
>> the same manufacturer as the controller.
>> 
>> As I strongly suggested in the last TR41.1.9 meeting, the WG needs to
>> define a
>> set of parameters (i.e., how accurate does the location have to be) and
>> request
>> the relevant sub-committees (TR41.6 for wireless & TR41.3 for IP) to start
>> a
>> work item to meet these anticipated needs.
>> 
>> Best Regards,
>> Paul Weismantel
>> NEC America, Inc.
>> 1555 W. Walnut Hill Lane
>> Irving, TX 75038
>> Tel: (972) 518-3834
>> Fax: (972) 518-4689
>> Mobile: (214) 244-7841
>> email: [email protected]
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: "Tung; Tailey" <[email protected]> at Internet
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 1999 4:11 PM
>> To: Weismantel, Paul; Parker, Jim; [email protected] at Internet;
>> [email protected] at Internet; [email protected] at Internet;
>> [email protected] at Internet; [email protected] at
>> Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected] at
>> Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected] at
>> Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected]
>> at Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected]
>> at Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected] at
>> Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected] at
>> Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected]
>> at Internet; [email protected] at Internet; [email protected]
>> at Internet; [email protected] at Internet
>> Subject: RE: E911 & Virtual PBX
>> 
>> 
>> Hi Tony & John,
>> 
>> The virtual PBX or internet PBX etc.... mentioned by John is not new in
>> Silicon Valley.  What we need is input from the manufacturers of this type
>> of products (such as Cisco / Selsius) who may already had solutions to
>> resolve the E911 internet caller location problem to help TIA E911 working
>> group to come up with the acceptable industry standard.
>> 
>> John,
>> 
>> Do you think you can provide input from Cisco / Selsius to TIA to start
>> the
>> drafting of E911 requirements for virtual PBX products?
>> 
>> 
>> TR41.1 members,
>> 
>> Please provide input to TR41.1.9 for Tony and his working group to study
>> the
>> possibility of writing E911 standard for virtual PBX or Voice over IP
>> products.
>> 
>> Sincerely
>> 
>> Tailey
>> TR41.1 Chair
>> 
>> 
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From:     Caggiano, Anthony G (Tony) [SMTP:[email protected]]
>> > Sent:     Tuesday, April 27, 1999 10:57 AM
>> > To:     Adams, Dan; Bal, Ajmer; Balinski, John; Berestecky, Chuck;
>> Bishop,
>> > Trone; Chaklashiya, Kumar; Chrostowski, Bob; Combs, John; Frank, Dick;
>> > Green, John H.; Havens, Phillip; Lawler, Tim; Lockard, Dorothy; Mar,
>> > Henry; Melton, Pete; Miyamoto, Yoshi; Needham, John; Panko, Richard;
>> > Parker, Jim; Saleem, Christopher; Tung, Tailey; Weismantel, Paul J.;
>> Wong,
>> > Tony
>> > Subject:     E911 & Virtual PBX
>> >
>> > All,
>> > Attached is email I received earlier this month from John Combs.
>> > Please review it, especially the proposal concerning work items for our
>> > Group, and we can discuss it at our next meeting.
>> >                Regards,  Tony Caggiano
>> >
>> > > From:      John Combs[SMTP:[email protected]]
>> > > Sent:      Thursday, April 08, 1999 7:24 PM
>> > > To:      Caggiano, Anthony G (Tony)
>> > > Subject:      E911 & the Virtual PBX
>> > >
>> > > Tony,
>> > >
>> > > In terms of asking questions about E911 compliance here at Cisco,
>> lately
>> > > I've been the "squeaky wheel," and the result of that was that I was
>> > told
>> > > to "grease myself," i.e., do the research and make suggestions. <g>
>> > >
>> > > As I'm sure you're aware of, we're on the verge of a radical change in
>> > PBX
>> > > design, resulting in what I will refer to as a "virtual" PBX.  For my
>> > > purposes, a "conventional" PBX is a cabinet with a bunch of cards in
>> it,
>> > > and has trunks that connect to the PSTN, and lines that connect to
>> > > stations.  The Cisco/Selsius IP PBX is a good example of a "virtual"
>> > PBX.
>> > > The "heart" of the Selsius virtual PBX is a software package named
>> Call
>> > > Manager, which runs on a WinNT Server PC with an installed Ethernet
>> > card.
>> > >
>> > > When a user makes a call from a Selsius IP telephone, it contacts the
>> > Call
>> > > Manager via Ethernet and gives the called party telephone number.  The
>> > > Call
>> > > Manager looks up the called telephone number in a database, and
>> replies
>> > to
>> > > the calling telephone with an IP address for the called number.  At
>> this
>> > > point the Call Manager "bows out" and the calling telephone contacts
>> the
>> > > next device directly.
>> > >
>> > > Now, that IP number might be for another Selsius IP telephone on the
>> > local
>> > > network, then we simply have an Ethernet connection between the two
>> > > phones.   The IP number might be another Selsius IP telephone on a
>> > remote
>> > > network, then one or more routers will route the IP packets to the
>> > called
>> > > telephone.
>> > >
>> > > But if the called telephone number is on the PSTN, the Call Manger
>> will
>> > > reply to the calling IP telephone with an IP number that belongs to a
>> > > "gateway" device.  The gateway has an Ethernet port, as well as PSTN
>> > > ports,
>> > > such as voice T1, ISDN BRI or PRI, or even analog ports such as CO
>> lines
>> > > or
>> > > E&M lines.  The gateway does the PSTN connection for the IP telephone.
>> > > Please note that the gateway doesn't have to be a Selsius product --
>> it
>> > > could be a standard Cisco router, since nearly all of them now have
>> > "voice
>> > > module" options to connect to the PSTN.  The gateway might even be a
>> > > router
>> > > from a different manufacturer.  Just to further complicate things, the
>> > > VoIP
>> > > "telephone" could just as easily be a multimedia PC running Microsoft
>> > > Netmeeting.
>> > >
>> > > So, there is a real possibility that the only part of this "virtual"
>> PBX
>> > > that would be provided by Cisco would be the Call Manager software --
>> no
>> > > hardware whatsoever!
>> > >
>> > > Now, let's consider E911 compliance.  I know from our earlier
>> > conversation
>> > > that Illinois has tried to target *hardware* for compliance with the
>> > law,
>> > > i.e., PBX's are targeted, but key systems are not.  I also assume that
>> > > most
>> > > state laws are trying to enforce compliance by holding the PBX *owner*
>> > > (not
>> > > the manufacturer) responsible, I suppose with the assumption that
>> > > businesses will simply refuse to buy non-compliant PBX hardware and
>> thus
>> > > drive the market in the correct direction.
>> > >
>> > > So, in the case of a virtual PBX, do you suppose that the law would
>> > assume
>> > > that the PBX is the "gateway" hardware that directly connects to the
>> > PSTN?
>> > > There is even a possibility that the gateway which connects to PSTN
>> > lines
>> > > could be located in a state other than Illinois!  Or that the business
>> > > doesn't even *own* a hardware gateway, and that they're sending their
>> IP
>> > > packets to a local ISP acting as a local telephone provider, and the
>> > local
>> > > ISP owns the hardware gateway that interfaces to the PSTN!  In the
>> > > situation where the ISP owns the hardware gateway, and the local
>> > business
>> > > owns the Call Manager software, who is responsible for E911
>> compliance,
>> > > i.e., who "owns" the virtual PBX?
>> > >
>> > > So, in the case of the Ilinois law, if a business owned Call Manager
>> and
>> > > some VoIP telephones, but don't own their own hardware gateway to the
>> > > PSTN, do you suppose that they are "exempt" from that E911 law, and
>> the
>> > responsibility for compliance is shifted to the owner of the gateway,
>> > > perhaps an ISP?  What about the Kentucky law which I think you said is
>> > > based on a "dispersal" issue?
>> > >
>> > > As you can see, things get "ugly" very quickly when you start delving
>> > into
>> > > these issues.  I know that Tailey Tung was talking about "disbanding"
>> > your
>> > > TR-41.1.9 subcommittee after finishing up the ISDN E911 issue, but I
>> > think
>> > > that it might make sense to instead immediately start working on a new
>> > > project, perhaps called "E911 for Virtual PBXs."  I think that some
>> sort
>> > > of
>> > > interoperability guideline needs to be written so that manufacturers
>> can
>> > > ensure that a virtual PBX made up from hardware and software from
>> > multiple
>> > > manufacturers can handle an E911 call in some fashion.
>> > >
>> > > What do you think about all this?
>> > >
>> > > Oh, could you suggest a Web URL that might help me with determining
>> what
>> > > states currently have E911 laws, or are likely to soon adopt them?
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > --------------------------------
>> > >  John Combs
>> > >  Senior Telecom Engineer
>> > >  Corporate Compliance Department
>> > >  CISCO SYSTEMS
>> > >  Phone : +1 408 525-4910
>> > >  Fax   : +1 408 526-8348
>> > >  Email : [email protected]
>> > >  170 West Tasman Drive
>> > >  Mail Stop SJ-F/1
>> > >  San Jose, CA 95134-1706
>> > > --------------------------------
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >

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