Resource Center
Important Information about Emergency 911 Service
If human life or property is threatened and immediate attention is required, call 911 for fire, police, sheriff, highway patrol, ambulance, paramedics, Coast Guard, and/or search and rescue.
Following a disaster, especially an earthquake, there is usually a high volume of telephone calls. This can create extreme congestion on the telephone network causing long-distance companies to block calls to prevent an overload. Some calls may be diverted to recordings so that other calls can be completed.
Limit calls to emergencies only. Do not call 911, the police department, or fire department for general information about the disaster. Listen to the radio or a local TV station instead. Please consult your telephone directory for similar information concerning the use of your telephone in emergency situations.
When calling 911, your telephone number and address may be displayed on a dispatcher’s viewing screen. This enables the emergency agency to locate you if the call is interrupted. Not all 911 services identify where you are calling from, however, so when you dial, be certain to first tell the emergency worker where you are located.
Do not call 911 for non-emergencies–this causes delays in the handling of real emergencies. For non-emergency calls, call the non-emergency numbers listed in your directory for the agencies that you are trying to reach.
Help reduce calling into and out of the disaster area. Ask someone outside the area to be an information clearinghouse for you and your family. Since it will probably be easier for people not in the disaster area to make phone calls, let that person know how and where you are. That person should then call your friends and relatives and keep your loved ones informed as to your status.
Cypress Communications does not provide or support 911 service or any other emergency services calling outside of the United States. In addition, Cypress does not provide or support 911 service or any other emergency services for non-U.S. telephone numbers. For example, if you have a C4 IP soft client for an international number on your laptop computer, and if you dial 911 (or if you dial any international emergency telephone numbers, such as 112, 998 or 999), your call will not be completed, even if you make such a call while you are in the United States. You will need to make your emergency call on a wireline phone or a cell phone.
To request additional information about 911 services, please call us toll free at 1-888-528-1788 or email us at .
Emergency 911 Services and Cypress Communications VoIP Customers
Definition of 911 services–Functionality that allows you to contact emergency services, including, but not limited to: police, fire, and hospital/medical services. There are two different types of 911 services available from providers of telephony services: basic 911 and enhanced 911.
Basic 911 Service–With basic 911, only the caller’s telephone number is delivered to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) operator. A PSAP is the facility operated on a twenty-four hour basis that receives 911 calls; trained emergency dispatch operators transfer 911 calls to other public safety agencies.
Note: The caller must be able to communicate his or her location and details regarding the assistance required. All PSAPs offering 911 services have basic 911 capabilities.
Enhanced 911 Service (E911)–The caller’s address and telephone number are delivered to a PSAP automatically. E911 service is subject to the capabilities of the local PSAP; thus, E911 is not immediately available in all areas. Cypress Communications supports E911 Services where the PSAP is E911-capable, utilizing the wireline E911 network to complete calls to an emergency service dispatcher.
Note: Please be aware that there are rural and sparsely populated areas in the United States where 911 services have not been deployed for Voice over Internet Protocol ("VoIP") services. In such areas, if you dial 911, the call may not be completed or it might be routed to an "Admin line" at the PSAP, where there might not be trained emergency personnel answering the calls and the Admin line might not be answered after normal business hours.
There are many important differences between Emergency 911 Services available from a traditional provider of wireline telephony and VOIP service provided by Cypress Communications.
The differences between 911 service from Cypress Communications and traditional landline telephone services are set forth below.
Please note that the following can result in your VoIP Emergency 911 service not functioning properly:
- Registration of an incorrect service address. If you register using an incorrect physical address and location of your equipment, your emergency calls may be routed to the incorrect emergency service provider who may not be able to transfer your call or respond to your emergency.
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Moving your phone to a location other than your registered, physical location. If you move your phone to a location other than your registered, physical location (without notifying Cypress Communications) and your call is connected, then your 911 call might be routed to the PSAP center serving your last registered, physical location. As such, emergency personnel may not be able to transfer your call or respond to your emergency. You must provide updated service location registration to Cypress before moving to allow sufficient time for applicable databases to be updated. Cypress cannot guarantee updates will be processed immediately, but commercially reasonable efforts will be used to update your service location.
- Log into Cypress Connexion to update your service location before moving. Please be aware that only your portal administrator can enter pre-approved addresses in Connexion, so if your new location is not available as a pre-approved address, you will need to contact your portal administrator to add your new location to the pre-approved address list.
- If you cannot access Cypress Connexion for any reason, you can submit the request online by using the Cypress E911 Service Location Online Form, or you can download a PDF version of the form, fill it out, and submit it via email to or via fax to 404-442-0061.
- Logging into another IP phone without updating your new location. If you login to another IP phone without updating your new location and your call is connected, then your 911 call might be routed to the PSAP center serving your last registered location. As such, emergency personnel may not be able to transfer your call or respond to your emergency.
- An outage, degradation, or other disruption of electric power at your location.
- An outage, degradation, or other disruption of the broadband Internet connection at your location.
- Disconnection or suspension of your account as a result of nonpayment or any other contractual breach(es) by you.
You should always have a backup plan for 911 service
Possible backup plan options include, but are not limited to:
- Keeping a phone on hand (such as a cellular telephone) that does not require electric power.
- Keeping a phone on hand (such as a cellular telephone) that does not require a broadband Internet connection.
- Using a Power over Ethernet (PoE) IP phone.
Please make sure your company:
- Understands the limitations of the 911 services provided by Cypress Communications Managed IP Communications Services.
- Informs all employees and third parties of the limitations of the 911 services provided by Cypress Communications Managed IP Communications Services.
To request additional information about our 911 services, please call us toll free at 1-888-528-1788 or email us at .
For further general information on VoIP and 911 services, visit the FCC’s VoIP Website at www.voip911.gov, or see the FCC’s consumer advisory at www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/voip911.html.