How relable does the Internet need to be? (Was: Re: Converged Network Threat)

Thu Feb 26 16:35:19 UTC 2004

Roland Perry wrote:

> In article 
> <578F3C8F6DD3D411850600508BF320CA03A60E64 at aries-exch1.uk.eu.corp.vizzavi.
> net>, "Pendergrass, Greg" <Greg.Pendergrass at vodafone.com> writes
> 
>> if you want to call an ambulance you DON'T use the internet
> 
> And you also need a way to persuade the Ambulance Service not to 
> terminate their calls via VoIP, or send dispatch instructions via 
> public-IP over GSM (or whatever) to their vehicles.

I think we will need also to make it illegal (to control the liability
issues) to need emergency assistance in a place whose only link
is via "public-IP".  (I hear that there are places in Papua New Guinea
that are being brought "on-line" where everything (EVERYthing) else is
stone-age-standard.)

> Or the IP bits need to be assured as "good enough" that it doesn't matter.
> 
> It's perhaps three years since I heard that there was real possibility 
> of some of the above. That stable door may be more open than you think.