Enhanced 911 (E911) is an upgraded version of the traditional 911 emergency response system, which automatically provides the caller’s location to 911 dispatchers. It helps emergency services quickly and accurately locate people who call 911 using smartphones or internet-powered VoIP phone systems, including Microsoft Teams calling. This system is crucial for ensuring that emergency responders can reach the caller as fast as possible, whether the call is made from a landline, mobile phone, or VoIP service.
An E911 address is a physical location registered with emergency services to ensure accurate location information during a 911 call. This address is essential for emergency responders to quickly find you, especially when using VoIP (Voice over IP) services or Wi-Fi calling. Keeping this address updated with your current location is crucial for ensuring that emergency services can reach you promptly in case of an emergency.
To find your E911 address in Microsoft Teams, follow these steps:
This ensures that your emergency location information is accurate, whether you’re in the office or working remotely.
For UniVoIP’s cloud voice services, the Service Management portal is the place where you enter locations. Each phone number is then linked to one of these saved addresses for E911 purposes. Additionally, it supports bulk location changes for selected numbers. This feature allows organizations to quickly adjust large groups of addresses at once; which may be helpful in the case of an office relocation.
Dynamic emergency calling for Microsoft Teams lets you configure and route emergency calls and notify security personnel based on the current location of the Teams client.
Using the network topology defined by the tenant administrator, the Teams client sends network connectivity information to the Location Information Service (LIS). If a match is found, the LIS returns a location to the client.
The Teams client then includes this location data in an emergency call. This information is used by the emergency service provider to determine the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and route the call accordingly, enabling the PSAP dispatcher to obtain the caller’s location.1
Kari's Law ensures that anyone can directly dial 911 from a multi-line telephone system (MLTS) without needing to dial a prefix, like “9” for an outside line. This law was named after Kari Hunt, who tragically died when her daughter couldn’t reach emergency services due to the hotel’s phone system requiring a prefix. The law also mandates that a notification be sent to a central location, such as a front desk or security office, to alert someone that a 911 call has been made.2
RAY BAUM'S Act focuses on providing accurate location information for 911 calls, regardless of the technology used. It requires that the caller’s dispatchable location, which includes the street address and additional details like suite or apartment numbers, be sent to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). This ensures that emergency services can quickly and accurately locate the caller.2
Setting up E911 in Microsoft Teams takes a few steps before your users can rely on it. Work through them in order:
Confirm licensing and connectivity: Each user needs a Teams Phone license and a way to reach the public phone network, whether through Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing. Verify your region supports Teams emergency calling before you begin.
Map your network topology: In the Microsoft Teams admin center, map your corporate subnets, Wi-Fi access points, and switches to specific emergency addresses. Teams uses these network identifiers, through the Location Information Service, to attach the right dispatchable location to a 911 call. For UniVoIP-managed numbers, you enter and link these addresses in the Service Management portal instead.
Create and assign emergency policies: Build an emergency calling policy and an emergency call routing policy, then assign them to users, sites, or network locations. This is also where you set which emergency numbers apply and how calls route for each location.
Turn on notifications: Configure the Kari's Law notification so that when someone dials 911, a designated contact, such as a front desk or security office, is alerted by email, SMS, or a Teams message.
Enable remote users to set their address: Allow users working outside the office to confirm or update their current address in the Teams client, so their location stays accurate wherever they connect.
Keep addresses current: Review and update your address and network mappings after any office move, new location, or Wi-Fi change, so the registered information always matches reality.
You should never dial 911 to test your setup. Instead, validate it safely before your team depends on it:
Use official test numbers: Microsoft and most emergency routing providers offer test numbers that confirm routing and location without alerting real responders. Use these instead of 911 for every test.
Check the dispatchable location: Place a test call and confirm the address Teams attaches matches where the caller actually is, including floor or suite details for larger sites.
Confirm the notification fires: Make sure the Kari's Law alert reaches the front desk, security team, or whichever contact you configured, through the channel you set up.
Test real-world scenarios: Run tests from an on-site desk, a remote home network, and a mobile device, so you know location detection and routing work for every way your people connect.
Retest after changes: Repeat these checks whenever you add a location, change your network, or onboard remote staff, since accurate emergency calling depends on current mappings.
Activating Teams Phone E911 capabilities in your organization is essential for ensuring the safety of your staff and patrons. This feature allows emergency services to quickly and accurately locate individuals in case of an emergency, whether they are on-site or working remotely.
Regardless of whether you use Microsoft Calling Plans, Operator Connect, or Direct Routing, it’s important to follow the guidance for managing emergency calling policies in Microsoft Teams. This includes configuring user policies to allow users to set their own emergency addresses, ensuring that location services are enabled, and regularly updating the registered addresses to reflect any location changes.3
By implementing these measures, you can help ensure that emergency responders have the accurate location information they need to provide timely assistance, thereby enhancing the overall safety and security of your organization.
E911, or Enhanced 911, is an upgraded 911 system that automatically sends the caller's location to emergency dispatchers. In Microsoft Teams, it means a call to 911 carries the user's current physical address, so responders know where to go even when the call comes from a softphone or a remote location. Teams determines that location from your network connection or from an address the user has confirmed, then routes the call to the correct local emergency center with that information attached.
Dynamic emergency calling routes each 911 call based on where the Teams client is right now, not a fixed office address. When a user calls, the Teams client sends its network connectivity information to the Location Information Service, which returns a matching location. Teams attaches that dispatchable location to the call, and the emergency service provider uses it to pick the correct Public Safety Answering Point and route the call there. For remote users off the corporate network, Teams uses the address they confirmed in the app.
Open the Calls app in Microsoft Teams and look just beneath the dial pad, where your current E911 location is shown. If you are working remotely with location services enabled, you will see the address Teams has detected for you. Use the drop-down arrow next to it to confirm the address or edit it to your actual location. It is worth checking this whenever you move or work from a new place, since accurate location is what lets responders reach you quickly.
Both are US laws that shape how emergency calling must work. Kari's Law requires that anyone on a multi-line phone system can dial 911 directly, with no prefix like 9 first, and that a designated contact is notified when a 911 call is placed. RAY BAUM'S Act requires that a dispatchable location, the street address plus details like a suite or floor, is sent with the call so responders can find the caller. Microsoft Teams supports both when emergency calling is configured correctly.
A PSAP, or Public Safety Answering Point, is the local call center that answers 911 calls and dispatches police, fire, or medical help. When a 911 call is placed from Teams, the emergency service provider uses the caller's location to route the call to the PSAP responsible for that area. That routing is why accurate location data matters so much: it makes sure the call reaches the right center and that responders are sent to the correct place.
Teams identifies a user's location from the network they are connected to. Administrators map corporate subnets, Wi-Fi access points, and switches to specific emergency addresses in the Microsoft Teams admin center, and Teams checks the client's connection against those mappings through the Location Information Service. When a match is found, the matching dispatchable address is attached to any emergency call. For users off the corporate network, Teams relies instead on the address the user has confirmed in the app.
Sources:
1. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/configure-dynamic-emergency-calling 2. https://www.911.gov/issues/legislation-and-policy/kari-s-law-and-ray-baum-s-act/ 3. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/what-are-emergency-locations-addresses-and-call-routing