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TelePort™ Is Proposed For FCC E911
Compliance
Zoom’s TelePort Hardware
Is Proposed Instead Of Internet-Connected E911 Alternatives
Boston, MA , October 24, 2005
— Zoom Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ZOOM)
today submitted to
the FCC its written proposal that Global Village®, Zoom’s
VoIP service, rely entirely on Zoom’s
TelePort technology to comply with the FCC’s new E911
requirements. Zoom’s written
proposal is at www.zoom.com/about/FCC_Compliance.pdf
TelePort-equipped devices have a jack for plugging in one
or more conventional
telephones, a jack for interfacing to a Public Switched Telephone
Network (“PSTN”) phoneline,
and the ability to route calls either to the Internet as
VoIP calls or directly to the PSTN. When a
Global Village customer dials 911, the TelePort’s “smart
switch” automatically routes the call
over the customer’s conventional telephone line. The
call is thus handled as it would be if a conventional phone was directly plugged into the customer’s
PSTN line, so the E911 call is
routed by the telephone service provider’s equipment
onto the wireline E911 network.
Zoom pointed out that the TelePort solution, which routes
911 calls through the PSTN,
includes these benefits over a network-based approach to
E911 compliance:
The TelePort solution works for E911 calls even if the
VoIP provider does not have an
Internet-based means of connecting the customer to E911
service.
TelePort-equipped VoIP devices can handle E911 calls
even in a power outage. During a
power outage the conventional telephone plugged into the
TelePort-equipped device
automatically connects to the live PSTN jack, typically
via a relay. In contrast, devices that
depend on an Internet connection to route E911 calls via
a network-based solution typically
cannot handle E911 calls in a power outage unless those
devices have a backup power supply.
The TelePort solution takes advantage of the wireline E911
capability to identify a user’s
location even if that user is nomadic. Whenever and wherever
a nomadic VoIP user in the U.S.
plugs into a live PSTN jack, that user’s location will
be identified to the maximum extent
permitted by the wireline E911 service even if the nomadic
user fails to update his or her
registered location.
By November 28, 2005, all U.S. Global Village customers
will have enhanced TelePort-equipped
devices that can detect whether the device is connected
to a live PSTN connection and
can report this status to Global Village. Customers will
be prevented from making VoIP calls to
and from the PSTN if their TelePort-equipped equipment
is not plugged into a live PSTN jack.
In that event, Zoom will attempt to get the customer to
establish a live PSTN connection for the
TelePort-equipped equipment, thereby restoring E911 access
as quickly as possible.
Zoom is actively marketing its TelePort-equipped devices,
including ATAs and DSL
modems, to VoIP service providers. Zoom believes that for
many of the VoIP service providers’
customers, TelePort-equipped devices are a low-cost and effective
way to handle E911 calls.
About Zoom Technologies, Inc.
Zoom Technologies, Inc. designs, produces, and supports
ADSL modems and gateways, wireless networking, Voice over
IP Gateways, cable modems, dial-up modems, Bluetooth products,
and other communications products under the Zoom, Hayes brands.
Zoom also provides VoIP services under the Global Village
brand. For more information about Zoom and its products, please
see www.zoom.com and www.globalvillage.com. |
