Users of Cisco BroadWorks can access Webex emergency services through this connection. E911 is provided. When a user dials E911, the E911 provider looks up the user’s location and then forwards the call to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). If assistance is required, a dispatcher can arrange for emergency services to be sent to the location of the user.
E911 Emergency Calling in Webex for BroadWorks
The Ray Baum Act Phase II can now be complied with thanks to this integration. By January 2022, full compliance will be given for all devices, including mobile devices such as tablets.
E911 Providers
You can configure your Emergency calling to E911 to use any of the following E911 providers by following the instructions in this page.
- 9Line/Bandwidth
- Intrado
- RedSky
How it works
Calling services for E911 include user location services as well as a network that sends emergency calls to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) located all around the United States of America, its territories, and Canada. It is possible to enable E911 services on a location-by-location basis. After a location has been enabled, the E911 calling service is utilized for all 911 and 933 test calls made from phones and clients that are associated with that location. This service is responsible for the following functions when an emergency call is made:
- FIND-The location of the caller is determined via the E911 calling service. The E911 calling service receives MAC or network information from desk phones and the Webex App. This information is then used in conjunction with a company wiremap to determine the location of the caller. Users of the Webex App will be prompted to enter their location information if the app is unable to determine the user’s location automatically. This information will then be sent to the E911 calling service.
- ROUTE-The location information is added to the SIP header whenever a call is made to either 911 or 933. This information also identifies the user as an E911 calling user. The call is transferred to the PSAP that is most suited for the location by the E911 service.
- NOTIFY-The E911 service is responsible for transmitting notifications to the necessary employees, such as those in charge of security or emergency services.
- The following responsibilities are handled by the E911 service:An E911 provider is responsible for maintaining the database that is partner and customer-provisioned and maps an emergency call to a location that can be dispatched.The E911 provider routes calls placed in an emergency to the appropriate PSAP by taking into account the dispatchable location of the calling device. In addition to the call-back number, the call also carries location information that tells the Public Safety Answering Point where emergency personnel should be dispatched.The E911 provider can generate notifications to enterprise staff that are completely voluntary.The E911 provider bridges enterprise workers into emergency calls placed by enterprise users and delivers pop notifications for subscriptions with enhanced licenses. This service is only available for enhanced licenses.
Location Detection
There are two primary varieties of location detection that are supported by E911 calling services: HELD and non-HELD.
Dynamic location detection for mobile devices and other non-fixed objects. These are mobile devices that can be used anywhere inside the building (HELD-supported desk phones).
- Desk phones that are capable of HELD rely on network discovery as their primary method of location detection. Desk phone devices send their network environment information (LLDP enabled upstream switch, wireless access points (WAP) BSSID, IP address, or their MAC addresses) to the E911 HELD service through a protocol known as HTTP Enabled Location Delivery (HELD). This protocol is also known as the HTTP Enabled Location Delivery Protocol.
Detection of the user’s location in real time for the E911 service. These are HELD+ devices that are portable and can be used off-site.
- Location detection is based on network discovery for the HELD+ capable Webex App on desktop and mobile platforms (tablets) that do not have a cellular connection. This discovery includes the wireless access points (WAP) BSSID, IP address, and upstream gateway default MAC address. The desktop and tablet applications for Webex do not support the LLDP protocol. When the Webex App detects that the user’s device is in an area it is familiar with, the user’s location will be automatically updated. The Webex App will prompt the user to enter a dispatchable location if it detects that the device has moved to an area that it is not familiar with. This information will then be validated by the E911 provider network and stored in its database. This address is the one that is used as the emergency dispatch address whenever a user dials 911 from within the Webex App.
It is possible that a user’s location will not be updated to the Access Point (AP) while they move throughout a building while using wireless connectivity. As a consequence of this, emergency services may view the location of the user as the primary access point (AP). The AP will update itself to the most recent version if the BSSID is altered or the state of the wireless interface is altered as a result of docking the workstation or going to sleep. In one of the upcoming updates of the Webex App, Cisco engineering will include a fix for this issue.
Detection of the position of fixed devices. These are devices that do not require HELD and do not move.
- Telephone Number Based Location Detection For non-HELD capable devices, such as softphone clients, Cisco ATAs, Cisco DECT systems, and any non-Cisco customer premises equipment (CPE), location determination is based on the Caller ID asserted in the test or emergency call. This includes mobile devices without cellular access.
PSTN and E911 Locations-Enabled Routing
Instead of going through the PSTN, BroadWorks directs calls that are considered to be urgent to the E911 service. This allows the call to be routed to the appropriate PSAP. All endpoints that make calls to emergency services from an E911-enabled location will use this route. This covers fixed phones as well as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops as examples of portable endpoints.
The clients whose phones are based on cellular technology are an exception to this norm. With the use of the phone’s in-built dialer, these customers place their emergency calls straight through the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), which is the mobile version of the PSTN.
Requirements for E911 Integration
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Component |
Requirement |
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|---|---|---|---|
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E911 Calling Provider |
To route calls to E911 using the implementation that Cisco provides for Webex App desktop and tablet clients, the partner is required to enter into an agreement with a calling provider that offers E911 services. E911 Provider Configuration The E911 provider site needs to be configured by the partner in order to offer location services for the following categories of electronic devices:
RedSky Support Documents
Intrado Support Documents
9Line/Bandwith Support Documents
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BroadWorks |
In order to make use of this feature, you are required to have the following BroadWorks patches installed. Only the patches that are relevant to your BroadWorks release should be installed:
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Devices |
HELD capable devices: The Cisco BroadWorks device management systems will generate updated device settings to enable HELD capabilities as soon as a location has been enabled for E911 services. Before a HELD device can make use of HELD for location services, the device needs to be re-synchronized or reinitialized so that it can take up the new configuration. |
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Webex App |
Desktop and tablet applications for Webex make use of downloaded configuration parameters in order to access the Location Information Server (LIS) of the E911 provider. Users are only required to enter their location details once for each location.Each location is documented in the database that the E911 provider keeps. The user is prompted to enter their location information whenever they log in from a new location, and this information is then uploaded to the database.
The user’s geolocation details are sent in the SIP header whenever they dial 911 or 933 from their phone.
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Carry out the activities listed below on BroadWorks in order to configure Webex for Cisco BroadWorks in order to support E911 Emergency Calling. E911 is configured on BroadWorks through the utilization of the Third-Party Emergency Calling capability.
| Command or Action | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Activate Feature |
To activate feature 101792, use the command line interface. |
| 2 |
Configure Third-Party Calling URLs |
Configure settings for the E911 provider, such as the URLs they utilize, by using the command line interface (CLI). |
| 3 |
Check Emergency Dial Strings |
Check the dial strings that are being used by BroadWorks for the Emergency Calling feature. |
| 4 |
Configure SIP Header Proxy Rule |
It is necessary to configure a SIP Header proxy rule on the Application Server. |
| 5 |
Configure Third-Party Emergency Calling (Enterprise/Service Provider Service) |
To enable Third-Party Emergency Calling on CommPilot, you will need to configure the Enterprise service. |
| 6 |
Configure Third–Party Emergency Calling (Group Service) |
You need to configure CommPilot’s Group service so that it can handle Third-Party Emergency Calling. |
Activate Feature
To make use of feature 101792, activate it on the Application Server by executing the following CLI command.
Activate the AS_CLI/System/ActivatableFeature> 101792 feature.
Configure Third-Party Calling URLs
You can setup the AS using Third-Party Emergency Calling settings, such as the URLs of E911 provider websites, by using the CLI.
1. To view the current parameter settings, run the following command via the command line interface:
AS_CLI/Service/ThirdPartyEmergencyCalling> get
primaryHELDServerURL=
secondaryHELDServerURL=
emergencyRouteHost=
emergencyRoutePort=
emergencyRouteTransport=
2. Execute the following command in the CLI to configure the settings. Please consult the table that follows for more information regarding the fields:
Set
, Multiple Choice = {primaryHELDServerURL, secondaryHELDServerURL, emergencyRouteHost, emergencyRoutePort, emergencyRouteTransport}
See the following table for help with the parameters:
|
Setting |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Primary HELD Server URL |
The default URL for the HELD server can be determined using this option. If any of the enterprises currently active in the system support the activation of third-party emergency calling, it is not possible to remove this option. The length of the string must be between 1 and 256 characters in order for it to be considered a valid value for this parameter. It should be a legitimate URL that starts with http or https. There is no value that is used by default. |
|
Secondary HELD Server URL |
The secondary URL for the HELD server can be defined by using this option. It is not allowed for the value of this field to be the same as the primary HELD server URL. The length of the string must be between 1 and 256 characters in order for it to be considered a valid value for this parameter. It should be a legitimate URL that starts with http or https. There is no value that is used by default. |
|
Emergency Route Host |
The address of the emergency route host is specified by this option. This parameter’s value must be a valid fully qualified domain name (FQDN), IPv4 address, or IPv6 address. If there is any enterprise in the system that permits the activation of third-party emergency calling, then it is not possible to clear this parameter. There is no value that is used by default. |
|
Emergency Route Port |
This option determines which port serves as the emergency route. An integer that falls anywhere in the range of 1025 and 65355 is considered to be a suitable value for this parameter. There is no value that is used by default. |
|
Emergency Route Transport |
This parameter establishes the procedure for the emergency route transport. The following items are examples of what could be entered for this parameter:
Unspecified – This is the value that is used by default. |
Check Emergency Dial Strings
1. Execute the following CLI command on the AS in order to check the dial strings that are currently being utilized for phoning in an emergency. In addition to the 911 number, you need also include the 933 number. The prefix 933 is utilized for testing purposes.
AS_CLI/System/CallP/CallTypes> get
Country Code Digit Map Call Type
==================================
1 1911 Emergency
1 911 Emergency
1 933 Emergency
2. If you need to add dial strings, use the following command:
AS_CLI/System/CallP/CallTypes> add
Refer to the Cisco BroadWorks Application Server Command Line Interface Administration Guide for additional information on these CLI commands and their associated details.
Configure SIP Header Proxy Rule
On the Application Server, configure a SIP Header rule in conjunction with the E911 provider HELD servers. This is required so that the AS can proxy the geolocation and geolocation-routing SIP headers to the E911 provider SIP servers.
1. Run the following CLI commands to set the keepOnEgressNetworkOffNet flag set to true.
AS_CLI/Interface/SIP/ProxyPolicy/Rule> add proxy911 false false false true false false false false
AS_CLI/Interface/SIP/ProxyPolicy/Rule> add proxy911 false false false true false false false false
2. Run the following CLI commands to add the SIP headers to that rule:
AS_CLI/Interface/SIP/ProxyPolicy/HeaderPolicy> add geolocation proxy911
AS_CLI/Interface/SIP/ProxyPolicy/HeaderPolicy> add geolocation-routing proxy911
Configure Third-Party Emergency Calling (Enterprise/Service Provider Service)
Establish the necessary settings for Third-Party Emergency Calling at the Enterprise level.
Before you get started,
- make sure that you are familiar with the provisioning model that you are utilizing, as the configurations for the Customer ID and the Secret Key are dependent on the model:
- Enterprise provisioning model—The organization that the service is being provided to is an enterprise. The enterprise is composed of a number of distinct organizations, such as its many locations.
- Model for the Provisioning of Services by Service Providers —The group is considered a client organization. The many departments that fall under the Service Provider are not connected to one another in any way.
1. Select Third-Party Emergency Calling from the drop-down menu in the Comm Pilot Services box.
2. Select the check box designated for Allow Activation.
3. Depending on the provisioning model that you are running, enter the following values into the Customer ID and Secret Key fields:
- Enterprise provisioning model: Enter the settings that have been provided by the E911 supplier.
- Enter dummy settings for the Service Provider provisioning model; these values will be overwritten by your Group configuration in the subsequent step.
4. Select the OK button.
This command, ServiceProviderThirdPartyEmergencyCallingModify, can also be used to automatically configure these parameters by a back-office system.
Use the Enterprise provisioning model and add a one-of-a-kind client ID and Secret Key for the Service Provider’s own organization if you are configuring emergency calling for the Service Provider’s own organization, as opposed to the client organizations that the Service Provider administers. This is necessary when creating emergency calling for the Service Provider’s own organization.
|
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Allow Activation |
This option determines whether or not the groups inside the enterprise have access to the ability to activate third-party emergency calling. Both true and false are considered valid values for this option. Default default is false.
Activation at the enterprise level is not permitted if the URL of the system-level HELD server is not supplied, and the same is true if the emergency route info is not configured. |
|
Customer ID |
The E911 customer ID that is utilized by the third-party emergency call service can be defined by using this option. This value cannot be replicated by any other client organization because it is controlled exclusively by a Service Provider. The maximum number of characters that can be used in this parameter is 36. If the Allow Activation setting is active, the Customer ID field must not be left blank.
A value should be assigned that corresponds to the provisioning model that is being run:
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Secret Key |
This parameter establishes the one-of-a-kind E911 provider secret key that the business used in the Third-Party Emergency Calling service (the Customer ID is used to determine the business). The format of the secret key is UTF-8 and alphanumeric. When the Customer ID is being defined, this field must be filled in.
Assign the value that corresponds to the provisioning model that is currently being utilized:
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Configure Third-Party Emergency Calling (Group Service)
Third-Party Emergency Calling needs to be configured if you are using the Service Provider provisioning paradigm. This setting may be found under Group Services.
Before you get started, make sure that you are familiar with the provisioning model that you are utilizing, as the configurations for the Customer ID and the Secret Key are dependent on the model:
Enterprise provisioning model—The organization that the service is being provided to is an enterprise. The enterprise is composed of a number of distinct organizations, such as its many locations.
Model for the Provisioning of Services by Service Providers —The group is considered a client organization. The many departments that fall under the Service Provider are not connected to one another in any way.
When configuring the Group Profile, you must select either USA or CAN (for Canada) as the Country.
1. Select Third-Party Emergency Calling from the drop-down menu in the Comm Pilot Group Services window.
2. Select the check boxes for both of the following items:
- Enable Management of Emergency Calling Devices Provided by Third Parties
- Enable the Routing of Emergency Calls Through a Third Party
3. According to the provisioning type that you are using, enter the relevant values for Customer ID and Secret Key for this group:
- Enterprise provisioning model—Don’t fill in any of the fields. The values from the prior Enterprise Service operation are utilized in this step.
- Enter the values given to you by the E911 provider. This is part of the Service Provider provisioning model.
4 Select the OK button.
Please refer to the table that follows for assistance with the fields.
|
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Enable Third-Party Emergency Calling Device Management |
This parameter allows the user to specify whether or not the group is enabled for third-party emergency calling device administration. In the event that the enterprise level does not permit activation, this option cannot be activated. When the group third-party emergency routing feature is turned on, it is not possible to disable this parameter. True (checked) and false (unchecked) are both acceptable values to assign to this option. The value that is used by default is false. |
|
Enable Third-Party Emergency Calling Routing |
This parameter allows the user to specify whether or not the group is enabled to route third-party emergency calling. In the event that the enterprise level does not permit activation, routing cannot be enabled. If you do not have third-party emergency device management enabled, you will not be able to setup routing.
True (checked) and false (unchecked) are the only two options that are acceptable for this parameter. The value that is used by default is false. |
| The E911 customer ID that is utilized by the Third-Party Emergency Calling service can be defined with the help of this option. This value cannot be replicated by any other customer organization because the Service Provider is in charge of its management. The maximum number of characters that can be used in this parameter is 36. In the event that the Group Service Customer ID is not set, the Customer ID from the enterprise or service provider level will be utilized instead.
It is your responsibility to assign the value that corresponds to the provisioning model that you employ:
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|
Secret Key |
.The E911 secret key that is utilized with the Third-Party Emergency Calling service is defined by this parameter. This key utilizes an alphanumeric format that is UTF-8 compliant, and it is the only one of its kind for the group (as determined by Customer ID). If the Customer ID is defined, then you have to fill up this field. In the event that the secret key is not specified, the secret key that is defined at the enterprise or service provider level will be utilized. It is your responsibility to assign the value that corresponds to the provisioning model that you employ:
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Webex Client Configuration Tags for Emergency Calling
Dynamic Tags
The following table provides a summary of the dynamic Webex DMS tags that appear in the Webex client configuration file (config.wxt-xml) and how they are dynamically produced from the BroadWorks configuration. These tags can be found in the Webex client configuration file.
|
Tag |
Data Source |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
%BWE911-PRIMARY-HELDURL% |
AS_CLI/Service/ThirdPartyEmergencyCalling> primaryHELDServerURL |
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%BWE911-SECONDARY-HELDURL% |
AS_CLI/Service/ThirdPartyEmergencyCalling> secondaryHELDServerURL |
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%BWE911-EMERGENCY-NUMBER-LIST% |
AS_CLI/System/CallP/CallTypes> Digit Map values marked as “Emergency”
|
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|
%BWE911-CUSTOMERID% |
ID of the Configured Group’s Customers, if it is not blank; if it is, the ID of the SP or Enterprise. |
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%BWE911-SECRETKEY% |
In the event that it is not blank, the Configured Group Secret Key; otherwise, the SP/Enterprise Secret Key |
Personalized Tags
The following is a list of custom tags for emergency calling that can be used in the desktop and tablet versions of the Webex App. In order to acquire further information, kindly consult the Webex for Cisco BroadWorks Configuration Guide:
Even though “REDSKY” is included in the name of some of these custom tags, these tags can also be used for E911 calling integrations that use 9Line/Bandwidth or Intrado as the E911 provider. This is the case even if some of these custom tags include “REDSKY” in their name.
%ENABLE_EMERGENCY_DIALING_WXT%
Allows for the detection of Emergency Calls to be received.
- Values: [true|false]
- Default value: false
%EMERGENCY_DIALING_ENABLE_REDSKY_WXT%
- Enable the Emergency Location Platform is the description of this function.
- Values: [true|false]
- Default value: false
%EMERGENCY_REDSKY_USER_LOCATION_PROMPTING_WXT%
The definition of the E911 location prompting behavior can be found here. The “aggressive” value causes the user to be presented with the dialog whenever the network changes to an unknown location. The “once_per_login” option displays the dialog only when the user is logging in from an unknown location. This prevents the user from being bothered by additional popups and distractions.
- Values: [aggressive|once_per_login]
- Default value: once_per_login
%EMERGENCY_REDSKY_USER_MANDATORY_LOCATION_WXT%
The number of times that the user is permitted to close the location dialog before it becomes essential for the user to provide location information. The user is given the option to permanently shut the dialog when the value is set to -1.
- Values: [-1 – 100]
- Default value: -1
%EMERGENCY_REDSKY_USER_REMINDER_TIMEOUT_WXT%
The amount of time, in minutes, that will elapse before the user is prompted to input a new emergency location if the one they are using at the moment is either incorrect or has not been entered at all. When the value 0 is selected, there will be no reminders generated.
- Values: [0 – 43200]
- Default value: 0
Change History
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Change |
Details |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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May 09, 2023 |
Updated E911 Emergency Calling in Webex for BroadWorks section. |
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December 13, 2022 |
Added notes under Location Detection section. |
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August 24, 2022 |
Updated PSTN and E911 Locations-Enabled Routing. |
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April 25, 2022 |
Added Country requirement to Group Service configuration. |
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March 23, 2022 |
Added wildcard restriction to |
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March 21, 2022 |
Added Note with info on requirements for the %BWE911-EMERGENCY-NUMBER-LIST% native tag. |
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March 14, 2022 |
Added new config tag, %EMERGENCY_REDSKY_USER_LOCATION_PROMPTING_WXT%, which lets administrators edit the location update frequency.
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