Skype goes server-less for Net phone calls

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Lack of 911 service not a VoIP problem: any more than it is for FTP or HTTP. This is a case where people are not thinking clearly about architecture.

In the old world, the physical layer of the network is not meaningfully distinct from the service layer. Now it is, but people keep forgetting that 911 service is tied to the physical layer. What is needed is a standard service available through the physical-layer provider. This is actually much simpler to provide than the current 911 infrastructure.

It requires only that the network provider create a registry of the MAC addresses and physical locations of the bridging devices (DSL or cable modems, etc.) - which it already has - and provide a lookup service on that information, not unlike RARP. Could also be added to the wad of data returned by DHCP, so the 911 caller's phone can provide it as part of the connection protocol.

Also, this doesn't have to pollute the VoIP protocol used, and it doesn't have to be a telephone call dialed to the number 911. It can be a separate service protocol, which has the advantage of being able to get priority routing at the IP layer, and doesn't have to be sent to only one address. It can also be used to make emergency services better, by routing directly to the appropriate agency when possible (and appropriate) without human intervention. Separate fire, police, medical, or traffic services can be invoked, if the caller is able to specify when calling.

Of course, dialing 911 should also get you to the appropriate service, but then the service would have to be able to get the information from your phone as part of a separate protocol. Since we'd like that to work anyway, perhaps the VoIP protocol could be modified to add this. However, this would pose a serious privacy risk, since any called party could get the information if they exercised the sub-protocol. Mitigating this would require certification of valid emergency services, which would be more complex but not necessarily more secure.

New tools allow us to think in new ways. Let's not think that things have to be done the same way they always have been.; Posted by: bthomasmo@... Posted on: 07/27/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use