Overview Many organizations intentionally suppress their outbound Caller ID for privacy, security, or operational reasons. This may be configured as the default behavior for all outbound calls or enabled through a separate dialing prefix, outbound route, or calling profile. Examples of organizations that commonly use hidden Caller ID include: Collection agencies Law enforcement agencies Crisis and suicide prevention services Child protection and support services Women's shelters and support organizations Healthcare organizations Government agencies Any business or organization requiring caller anonymity for safety or privacy reasons While hiding Caller ID is perfectly acceptable for normal outbound calls, 911 emergency calls are subject to different regulatory requirements.

E911 Requirements

When a 911 call is placed, the originating telephone number (Automatic Number Identification – ANI) must be presented to the emergency services network so that the call can be properly identified and associated with the correct Emergency 911 (E911) record.

If a PBX sends a 911 call with a hidden, blocked, private, unknown, invalid, or otherwise unusable Caller ID, the emergency call cannot be processed in accordance with Canadian emergency calling requirements.

As a result, the emergency call provider may apply a regulatory charge or penalty on a per-call basis for improperly presented emergency calls.

These requirements exist to help ensure that emergency responders receive accurate location and callback information whenever possible.

Recommended Configuration

The solution is straightforward and is supported by virtually all modern business PBX systems.

Configure your PBX so that calls to 911 always override any Caller ID blocking settings and present a valid telephone number that has an active E911 record associated with it.

This is typically accomplished by:

• Creating a dedicated outbound route for 911
• Creating a separate 3-digit dial plan or emergency dialing rule
• Assigning a Caller ID specifically for emergency calls
• Ensuring the presented Caller ID is provisioned for E911 service

Platforms such as 3CX, Yeastar, UCX, and most enterprise PBX systems support this type of configuration.

With this approach:

• Regular outbound calls may continue to present Private, Unknown, or a blocked Caller ID if desired.
• All emergency calls automatically present the correct Caller ID and E911 information.

Important Information

IXICA provides E911 connectivity and routing; however, IXICA does not establish or modify Canadian emergency calling regulations.

Emergency call handling requirements are established through Canadian regulatory authorities and emergency service providers. These requirements apply regardless of the telephone service provider or PBX platform being used.

It is the responsibility of the PBX administrator or customer to ensure that emergency calls are configured correctly and that a valid E911-enabled Caller ID is presented whenever 911 is dialed.

Failure to do so may result in emergency service surcharges, regulatory charges, or delays in emergency call processing.

Need Assistance?

If you are unsure whether your PBX is correctly configured for emergency calling, or if you would like assistance configuring 911 Caller ID overrides on your system, please contact the IXICA Support team. We would be happy to review your configuration and help ensure your emergency calling is operating correctly.

What is an E911 listing?

An E911 listing links a telephone number to a physical emergency service address.

When someone dials 911, the emergency call centre uses the caller ID number sent with the call to identify the registered address associated with that number. This helps emergency services determine where assistance may be needed.

E911 information is especially important with VoIP service because VoIP phones can be used from different locations, and the phone number may not automatically identify the caller’s physical location.

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Why are E911 listings required?

E911 listings are required to help emergency services route calls correctly and identify the caller’s location.

Telecommunications and VoIP providers are required to take reasonable steps to support emergency calling and maintain accurate emergency location information where applicable. This applies in Canada, the United States, and many other jurisdictions.

Without a proper E911 listing, emergency responders may receive incomplete, incorrect, or missing address information.

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Does every DID need an E911 listing?

Not necessarily.

An E911 listing is not required for every inbound DID simply because the number exists on your account.

Instead, an E911 listing is required for every outbound caller ID number that may be used when dialing 911.

This distinction matters.

A DID may only be used for inbound calls and may never be used as outbound caller ID. In that case, it may not need its own E911 listing.

However, if a number can be sent as outbound caller ID when a user dials 911, that number must be listed with the correct emergency address.

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What matters during a 911 call?

For E911, the most important field is the number portion of the outbound caller ID.

The caller ID name is not what determines the emergency address. The E911 system relies on the telephone number sent with the 911 call and attempts to match that number to a provisioned emergency address.

A valid E911 caller ID should be a properly formatted telephone number, such as:

4165551212

The number must also be actively listed for E911 with the correct physical address.

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What is considered an invalid E911 caller ID?

Examples of invalid or improper caller ID for 911 include:

1. Anonymous or private caller ID
2. A blank caller ID
3. An internal extension, such as 101 or 2205
4. A number with letters or special characters
5. A malformed number
6. A number not assigned to your account
7. A number assigned to your account but not listed for E911
8. A number listed to the wrong address
9. A shared caller ID used by users in different physical locations

Any of these can result in emergency routing issues, unprovisioned 911 charges, compliance concerns, or delayed emergency response.

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Why does this matter so much?

During a 911 call, the caller may not be able to speak. They may be injured, under threat, disconnected, unable to communicate clearly, or calling from a noisy environment.

Emergency operators will normally attempt to confirm the caller’s location, but responders may rely on the registered E911 address if the caller cannot provide one.

That is why the address associated with the outbound 911 caller ID must be accurate.

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PBX Deployment Scenarios

Scenario 1: Single Location with One Outbound Caller ID

This is the simplest deployment.

All users are located at the same physical address, and all extensions send the same outbound caller ID.

Example:

• Office location: Toronto office
• All extensions send outbound caller ID: 4165551212
• E911 address listed for 4165551212: Toronto office address

In this case, only the single outbound caller ID needs to be listed for E911.

 

 

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Scenario 2: Single Location with Multiple Outbound Caller IDs

In this scenario, all users are at the same physical address, but different departments, users, or extensions send different outbound caller ID numbers.

Example:

• Sales sends 4165551001
• Support sends 4165551002
• Accounting sends 4165551003
• All users are in the same office

There are two acceptable ways to handle this.

Option A: List every outbound caller ID

Each outbound caller ID is listed for E911, even though each number points to the same physical address.

This is often the safest and clearest approach.

It is especially recommended for larger offices, multi-floor buildings, campuses, buildings with multiple entrances, or businesses where different departments may need more specific location information.

Example:

Option B: Use an emergency caller ID override

Some PBX systems allow an Emergency Caller ID override.

This means users may normally send different outbound caller IDs for regular calls, but when they dial 911, the PBX replaces their normal caller ID with a specific E911-listed number.

Example:

In this case, only 4165551212 needs to be listed for E911, as long as the PBX reliably sends that number for every 911 call from that location.

 

 

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Scenario 3: Multiple Locations with One Shared Outbound Caller ID

This scenario requires extra care.

If a PBX is shared by multiple offices, branches, businesses, or physical locations, the same outbound caller ID should not be used for 911 calls from all locations unless all users are physically at the same address.

Example:

• Toronto office
• Vancouver office
• Calgary office
• All locations normally send outbound caller ID: 4165551212

This is risky because if a Vancouver user dials 911 but the caller ID is listed to Toronto, emergency services may receive the wrong address.

Recommended solution

Assign a unique E911 caller ID to each physical location.

These numbers may be DIDs that are not advertised and may not be used for regular inbound calls. Their purpose is to identify each location during emergency calls.

Example:

The PBX must then be configured so that when a user dials 911, the caller ID is replaced with the correct emergency caller ID for that user’s location.

 

 

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Scenario 4: Multiple Locations with Multiple Outbound Caller IDs

This is the most complex deployment.

In this scenario, the business has multiple physical locations, and each location may also have multiple departments, users, or outbound caller IDs.

Example:

• Toronto office has Sales, Support, and Accounting caller IDs
• Vancouver office has Sales, Support, and Accounting caller IDs
• Calgary office has Sales, Support, and Accounting caller IDs

There are two common approaches.

Option A: List every outbound caller ID at every location

Each outbound caller ID is listed with the correct E911 address.

Example:

This approach is detailed but very clear. It is often appropriate when departments, floors, suites, entrances, or buildings need to be identified separately.

Option B: Use one emergency caller ID per location

Some PBX systems allow users to keep their normal outbound caller IDs for regular calls while forcing a location-specific emergency caller ID when 911 is dialed.

Example:

In this case, only one E911-listed number is needed per physical location, as long as the PBX reliably sends the correct emergency caller ID based on the caller’s location.

 

 

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Special Deployment Considerations

What about remote workers?

Remote workers require special attention.

If a user works from home or another remote location and can dial 911 from their VoIP phone or softphone, the caller ID sent during a 911 call must match the user’s actual physical location.

Do not assume the office E911 address is acceptable for remote users.

For remote users, consider:

1. Assigning a dedicated emergency caller ID to the user
2. Listing that caller ID with the user’s current physical work location
3. Using PBX emergency caller ID rules
4. Requiring users to update their emergency address when they move
5. Restricting 911-capable service on devices where location cannot be managed safely

In the U.S., location obligations for interconnected VoIP and other services include registered or dispatchable location requirements depending on service type and technical feasibility.

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What about softphones and mobile apps?

Softphones and mobile apps can create E911 risk because they can be used from different locations.

For example, a user may install a softphone on a laptop and use it from:

1. The office
2. Home
3. A hotel
4. A customer site
5. Another city or country

If the softphone sends an office caller ID during a 911 call, emergency responders may receive the office address, not the user’s actual location.

Customers using softphones should have a clear policy for E911, remote use, and address updates.

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What about shared PBX systems or multi-tenant PBX systems?

If a PBX serves multiple businesses, tenants, buildings, suites, or customer locations, each tenant or location must be treated separately for E911 purposes.

Do not use one shared emergency caller ID across unrelated businesses or locations.

Each business or physical location should have its own E911-listed caller ID, and the PBX should send the correct caller ID when 911 is dialed.

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What about large buildings, campuses, warehouses, or multi-floor offices?

For larger deployments, a single civic address may not be specific enough.

Where possible, the E911 address should include useful location details such as:

1. Suite number
2. Floor
3. Unit number
4. Building name
5. Entrance
6. Reception area
7. Security desk
8. Warehouse bay
9. Campus building
10. Other location notes supported by the E911 listing process

The goal is to help responders find the caller quickly.

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Testing E911

Can I test E911?

Yes, but do not dial 911 for testing unless you have been specifically instructed to perform an authorized 911 test.

For most routine validation, use the E911 test number 933 where available.

A 933 test call allows you to confirm what caller ID and address the E911 system sees without placing a live emergency call.

The automated system should read back the telephone number and registered address associated with the call.

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When should I test?

Testing is strongly recommended:

1. Before allowing users to place calls on a new system
2. After adding a new location
3. After adding remote users
4. After changing outbound caller ID settings
5. After changing PBX emergency routes
6. After moving offices
7. After changing SIP trunks
8. After replacing or upgrading a PBX
9. After adding new extensions that can dial 911
10. After any routing change that may affect outbound caller ID

Testing is especially important in multi-location or multi-caller-ID deployments.

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What should I test?

You should test from every meaningful call path.

This may include:

1. Each location
2. Each branch office
3. Each emergency caller ID group
4. Remote worker extensions
5. Softphone users
6. Reception phones
7. Common area phones
8. Warehouse phones
9. Conference room phones
10. Any device that may be used to dial 911

The goal is to confirm that each call path sends the correct E911-listed caller ID and returns the correct address.

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Important Notes

Never assume 911 will not be dialed

911 may be dialed unexpectedly at any time.

In some cases, emergency calls have been placed within minutes of a new phone system going live. E911 configuration should be completed before users are given access to the system.

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Keep E911 addresses current

E911 information must be updated when users, phones, offices, or business locations move.

This includes:

1. Office relocations
2. Suite changes
3. Floor changes
4. Remote worker moves
5. Branch office openings or closures
6. PBX migrations
7. Caller ID changes
8. DID reassignment
9. Customer or tenant changes

An old address can be as dangerous as no address.

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Do not rely on verbal address confirmation

Emergency operators may ask the caller to confirm their location, but you should not rely on the caller being able to speak.

The caller may be unable to communicate due to injury, medical distress, panic, threat, poor audio, or disconnection.

The listed E911 address must be accurate before the emergency occurs.

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Use proper caller ID format

The caller ID number sent on a 911 call must be properly formatted.

Recommended format:

4165551212

Avoid sending:

1. Extensions
2. Blank caller ID
3. Anonymous caller ID
4. Special characters
5. Toll-free numbers unless specifically approved and supported for the use case
6. Numbers not assigned to your account
7. Numbers not listed for E911
8. Numbers listed to the wrong address

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Unprovisioned 911 calls may result in fines

A 911 call sent with an unlisted, invalid, or improperly formatted caller ID may result in an Un-Provisioned E911 Charge.

Repeated failure to send proper E911-listed caller IDs may also create compliance issues and may require IXICA or its E911 provider to take corrective action.

Customers are responsible for ensuring that every user, extension, device, location, and call path that can dial 911 sends a valid caller ID with an active and accurate E911 listing.

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Recommended E911 Planning Checklist

Before going live, confirm the following:

1. Every physical location has been identified.
2. Every remote user location has been reviewed.
3. Every outbound caller ID used for 911 has been identified.
4. Every 911 caller ID is listed with the correct emergency address.
5. PBX emergency caller ID overrides are configured, if used.
6. Each location sends the correct emergency caller ID.
7. Softphone and remote users are handled properly.
8. Caller ID is sent in valid 10-digit format.
9. 933 test calls have been completed where available.
10. Users are not given access until E911 configuration is complete.
11. There is a process to update E911 listings when users or locations move.
12. Your IT provider or PBX administrator understands the E911 routing design.