Utilisation of VoIP in Lift Emergency Communications – A Case Study

The use of VoIP is set to become the predominant industry standard for emergency voice communications with lifts in this decade. Already networks are VoIP driven, with radio network backhauling, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) trunked connections, and applications like Skype, Microsoft Teams and many others using this now as the proven SIP-based form of digital communication. The advantage of VoIP over analogue or even mobile operator-specific VoIP derivatives like VoLTE (Voice-over-LTE) is that end-to-end QoS protocols can be applied to lift call quality and associated media like DTMF signalling when using VoIP. This paper will introduce the topic of VoIP for lift emergency communications, give lift industry examples of utilization current or planned, and present a case study using the Cairo Monorail project currently being implemented as an example of such technology deployment and the benefits offered. Finally, there will be a brief discussion of the impact of EN81:28 in respect of VoIP utilisation and advice on how this topic can be supported at a national and European level with the ultimate goal of assisting industry stakeholders, particularly lift consultants specifying communication solutions and independent lift installers and maintainers who might be unaware of technological advances that can benefit themselves and their customers