EU lobby group takes aim at emergency calls

Attempts by the European Commission to bring in a requirement for VoIP services to support emergency calls are being opposed by a new coalition lobby group.

Counting among their ranks large suppliers such as Google, Intel, Skype and Microsoft, the Voice on the Net Coalition Europe was launched on Friday (14th December) and will attempt to influence the regulation of IP telephony solutions in Europe.

In a statement, the group said it "will work to educate, inform and promote responsible government policies that enable innovation and the many benefits that internet voice innovations can deliver".

Explaining VON Coalition Europe's position, Stephen Collins, director of global governmental and regulatory affairs at Skype, said that placing traditional telephony restrictions on VoIP could strangle its growth - and thus lead to customers missing out on its services.

He called for lawmakers to "embrace forward-thinking policy approaches" so that eventually all individuals and businesses can benefit from IP telephony solutions.