In today’s business environment, companies are often spread across multiple locations, and one of the most critical elements at these locations is phone service. Quite often, there are a lot of considerations that get treated as an afterthought but really should be front and center when planning phone routing. 911 services are one of those things — they should be at the top of your list for any new phone system, because, frankly, we just expect 911 calls to work.

Why Standard 911 Routing Isn’t Enough

When a company buys blocks of phone numbers from a telco or SIP provider, those numbers are usually tied to a single service address — most often the company’s main office. That works fine if all the phones stay in that one location. But when phones or numbers are used at satellite offices, the registered 911 address no longer matches the caller’s actual location, and that can send calls to the wrong PSAP — the Public Safety Answering Point that receives and dispatches 911 calls.

This isn’t just a number allocation problem — it’s a location database problem. And this is exactly where E911 automation helps.

A Real Example

Let’s say ACME Company has 100 public phone numbers. They’ve expanded operations and opened five new sites. Fifty of those numbers need to be assigned to the new sites, but nobody is exactly sure how many should go where. The problem is that all 100 numbers are still associated with the company’s main billing address, not the locations where an emergency might actually happen.

In situations like this, phones and numbers will inevitably move around as business plans or operational needs change. Someone will need to contact the telco or SIP provider to update the mappings, so the right numbers are tied to the right locations. And, in practice, that step is often missed — because 911 is usually the last thing on anyone’s mind when setting up phones.

On top of that, most companies with private phone systems have internal extensions that don’t map to real-world locations. That means a 911 call from an internal extension can easily end up at the wrong PSAP if the system isn’t configured correctly. This all comes down to not understanding the back-end requirements needed to make 911 routing work.

The Legal Side of Things

There are two U.S. laws every business should be aware of when planning phone systems:

1. Kari’s Law — Makes sure anyone can dial 911 directly, without an access code, and requires on-site personnel to be notified immediately when 911 is called.
2. RAY BAUM’s Act — Makes sure every 911 call includes the exact physical location of the caller, including building, floor, and room number.

Together, these laws make enterprise 911 calling accessible, visible, and actionable — exactly what your staff and 911 dispatchers need when an emergency happens.

How E911 Services Solve the Problem

This is where E911 services really earn their keep — they handle both laws while minimizing headaches when numbers move or phones are relocated.

• Location-Based Routing with ELIN/ERL: Each phone or endpoint is assigned an ELIN (Emergency Location Identification Number) and an ERL (Emergency Routing Locator). The ERL routes the call to the correct PSAP based on the physical location, while the ELIN provides a callback number tied to that location. You can assign a single ELIN to a whole site, meaning all phones there inherit the site-level dispatchable address. That way, when you need to update the location for 911 purposes, you only update one number instead of an entire block of numbers.
• Accurate PSAP Routing: E911 systems use identifiers like MAC addresses, IP subnets, or switch ports to figure out where a phone is. Calls get routed directly to the correct PSAP, avoiding misrouted calls through a central trunk in another city — which, as you can imagine, can be a disaster in an emergency.
• ALI Integration: The system updates the ALI (Automatic Location Information) database that 911 centers use, giving dispatchers details that standard 911 calls cannot provide — building, floor, room, etc.
• On-Site Notifications: Alerts designated staff members immediately when 911 is dialed, including caller name, extension, location, and callback number. This satisfies Kari’s Law and keeps your staff in the loop.
• Callback Support: The outbound ELIN stays intact so the PSAP can call back directly, even if the phone is only tied to an internal extension rather than a public number.
• Audit & Compliance Logging: Keeps a complete record of 911 activity, proving compliance with Kari’s Law and RAY BAUM’s Act, and providing an audit trail for corporate or FCC review.
• Dynamic Location Updates (Optional): Many modern E911 systems can detect when phones, softphones, or laptops move to a new subnet or site and automatically update the dispatchable location. That minimizes errors and ensures nomadic users are protected.

Why It Matters

Without E911, emergency calls in multi-site or hybrid environments are risky. They can be misrouted, delayed, or fail entirely, which puts people in danger and exposes your business to liability and regulatory penalties. E911 ensures that every emergency call reaches the right PSAP, includes the correct dispatchable location, and alerts on-site personnel, all while simplifying administration across multiple sites. In short — E911 turns enterprise 911 calling from a risky afterthought into a fully reliable, compliant, and actionable safety system.

A successful VoIP implementation isn’t just about installing phones – it’s about planning, testing, and making sure every call goes through without a hitch.  If you want to make sure your rollout goes smoothly, our team at Navigator Networks can guide you every step of the way from design to deployment.

Author: Melissa Woodcock