Operation and Limitations of Emergency Service
Date of Last Revision: December 20, 2023
This policy forms part of, and is governed by the Customer Agreement and/or the RingCentral Terms of Service, as applicable. Terms used herein but not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Customer Agreement and/or the Terms of Service.
If an emergency arises, we want to help emergency responders find you. Emergency calling from your IP-telephony desk phone (“desk phone”) and softphone applications (“apps”) is different from emergency calling from traditional telephones. This policy describes how our emergency calling works and your responsibilities as a user.
If you are uncomfortable with any of the service limitations or your responsibilities described below, you should maintain an alternate means of calling emergency services.
If you are the Account Administrator, you must ensure that your users are aware of and understand this information.
Please note that emergency calling is not available from any device that does not permit direct local dialing to other phone numbers within your country (e.g., BYOC services in countries that RingCentral does not have a dialplan). Users of virtual extensions and lines without a direct call back number must have an alternative means to reach emergency services.
How Emergency Calling Works
- You Identify the Location Where You Are Primarily Using Our Services
Immediately upon activation of your direct dial line (whether used with a desk phone, app, or both), you or your Account Administrator must accurately register the address of the physical location where you will use your line. You can do this from within the app, or your Account Administrator can use the Administrative Portal. The registered address must comply with local address requirements, which are listed in Table 1.
We rely on this address to route your call to the closest emergency responders.
As explained below, if you move your device to a different location, you must update your address immediately to ensure that your emergency call is routed appropriately. Updates can be made via the Administrative Portal, directly on your app (where available), or by calling support.
Emergency service response times may be delayed if you do not provide an accurate and current physical address. Your call cannot be routed to the closest emergency response center if we do not know your current location. Most emergency response centers cannot transfer your call to a center in a different region.
Updating Your Location (U.S. and Canada)
You are required to update your address each time you move your device to a different location and may use any address within your assigned country. Your account administrator can provide information on any automatic address update functionality active on your account.
Address changes occur in real time for U.S. and Canadian users.
Updating Your Location (Outside of U.S. and Canada)
In many nations (see Table 1 below), emergency calling will not work outside of the local area covered by the Local Area Code (LAC). The LAC is typically the first 2-5 digits of your phone number immediately following the country code. For example, emergency calls from a user with a Rome number will only be able to reach emergency responders in Rome, even if that user inputs a Florence address. If you are located in one of these countries, you must update your registered address when you move within the number’s LAC. If you move to an address outside of the LAC, you must obtain a new number in the new LAC. Note that addresses outside the LAC may be rejected.
In other nations (see Table 1 below), emergency calls will route to the emergency response center associated with your address regardless of whether the address is within the number’s LAC. You must update your address each time you move and may input any in-country address.
Address changes usually take effect within 24 hours for non-U.S. and Canadian users, but it may take up to ten (10) days for addresses to be updated in certain countries. Emergency calls will be routed based on the previous address you entered until the address update takes effect.
Emergency calling services are not available in all countries (see Table 1 below).
- When You Call Emergency Services from Your Desk Phone or Computer-Based App
When you call emergency services from your desk phone or computer-based app, we route the call to local emergency responders, based on your address and in-country regulations. We provide the emergency response center with the location you provided and a number to call you back if the call is dropped. The emergency operator will not know your correct location if you did not update your address as required.
We cannot guarantee and do not control whether emergency response centers can see your location and call-back number. Due to service limitations at some emergency response centers, emergency operators may not have access to this information. Be prepared to provide the emergency operator with your telephone number and current location. If you are unable to speak, the emergency operator may not be able to send help and/or call you back should the call be disconnected.
In certain instances, your call cannot be routed directly to the local emergency response centers. Instead, it is sent to a national emergency contact center. Operators at these centers will ask for your current location so they may route your call to the correct local emergency response center.
Do not disconnect the call until told to do so by the operator. If the call is dropped, you should call back.
- When You Call Emergency Services from Your Smartphone App
When you call emergency services from your smartphone app, we send the call to the smartphone’s native dialer. The smartphone app is not a replacement for wireless cellular service. You should call or text (where available) emergency services on your smartphone’s native dialer. If you dial or text the emergency services number while using the smartphone app, the app will close, the native dialer or SMS function will be launched, and the call or text will be handled by your wireless cellular service provider.
Android users who access the smartphone app from a “profile” on their device, must grant that “profile” access to the Android’s native dialer.
Emergency dialing over wi-fi may not be available on tablets or other mobile devices that do not have a native phone dialer and a wireless service plan.
- Service Limitations
Certain events beyond our control may prevent you from reaching emergency services. These include
- If you have an Internet or power outage.
- If your broadband, ISP, or IP telephony services are suspended or terminated.
- If you are located in a country other than the one in which your digital line is provided. For example, if you have a US line and travel to the UK, you will not be able to reach the UK emergency services number.
- If you are located in a country where RingCentral is not permitted or otherwise able to complete emergency calls.
- If there is network congestion that may delay or prevent completion of any call to emergency services.
Notification of Service Limitations.
You are required by law to notify all persons who may place calls using our services or may be present at the physical location where our services may be used, of the limitations of reaching emergency services from your desk phone or app. You must affix any warning sticker provided in a readily visible place on each piece of equipment that might be used to access or use our services.
Disclaimer of Liability
Your use, and use by your employees, guests and other third parties, of our emergency calling services are subject to the limitations described herein. The availability of certain features, such as transmission of your location or a call back number, depends on whether local emergency response centers support those features and other factors outside of our control. We rely on qualified third parties to assist us in routing emergency service calls and text messages. We do not have control over local emergency response centers, emergency calling centers, emergency responders, or other third parties.
We disclaim all responsibility for the conduct of emergency response centers and all third parties involved in the provision of emergency response services. To the extent permitted by applicable law, you hereby release, discharge, and hold us harmless from and against any and all liability relating to or arising from any acts or omissions of such third parties or other third parties involved in the handling of or response to any emergency or emergency call.
You agree to indemnify and hold us and any of our third-party provider(s) harmless from any and all third-party claims, losses, damages, fines, or penalties arising out of: (i) you or your users’ provision of incorrect information, including incorrect addresses, or failure to update your or users’ locations consistent with this policy and applicable law; (ii) your failure to properly notify any person who may place calls using the emergency calling services of the emergency calling limitations; (iii) the absence, failure, or outage of emergency service dialing using the Services for any reason; and (iv) the inability of any user to be able to dial emergency services or to access emergency service personnel for any reason.
Table 1
Address Requirements and Emergency Call Routing by Country
| Country | In-Country Address Requirements | Emergency Call Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Must be within local area code; cannot be updated after initial order | Based on address given at initial order |
| Australia | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| Austria | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Belgium | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Brazil | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Canada | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| Chile | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Colombia | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Costa Rica | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Croatia | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Czech Republic | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| Denmark | Anywhere within country | Based on current address |
| Estonia | Must be within Local Area Code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Finland | Anywhere within country | To responders in Local Area Code |
| France | Anywhere within country | Based on current address |
| Germany | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | Based on current address |
| Greece | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Hong Kong | Anywhere within country | Based on current address |
| Hungary | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| India | Emergency Services are currently not mandated for internet telephony services | Emergency calling unavailable |
| Ireland | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To centralized emergency call center |
| Israel | Anywhere within country | To responders near current address |
| Italy | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Japan | Must be within relevant area code (RingCentral only provides Tokyo geographic numbers). Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted for provision of geographic numbers. | Emergency calling unavailable |
| Lithuania | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| Luxembourg | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| Mexico | Anywhere within country | To responders in Local Area Code; address not transmitted |
| Netherlands | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| New Zealand | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| Norway | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Peru | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Poland | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Portugal | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Romania | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Singapore | Anywhere within country | Based on current address |
| Slovakia | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| Slovenia | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | To responders in Local Area Code |
| South Africa | Anywhere within country | To centralized emergency call center |
| South Korea | Emergency calling unavailable | Emergency calling unavailable |
| Spain | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | Based on current address |
| Sweden | Must be within local area code. Addresses outside of local area code will not be accepted or used for emergency call routing | Based on current address |
| Switzerland | Anywhere within country | Based on current address |
| Taiwan | Emergency calling unavailable | Emergency calling unavailable |
| United Kingdom | Anywhere within country | Based on current address |
| United States | Anywhere within country | Based on current address or to centralized emergency call center |