HD Voice home phone service provider, Ooma, announced today it will be extending its popular 911 Alerts feature to Basic service customers in both the U.S. and Canada. The 911 Alerts feature, which was is available with the Ooma online platform, is capable of accelerating critical communications in times of crisis.

With the 911 Alerts feature Ooma subscribers can enter up to three E-Mail addresses of mobile phone numbers in the “My Ooma” online control panel and when 911 is called from a subscriber’s Ooma phone number, Ooma will automatically send alert messages to those specified recipients.

Previously, 911 Alerts was only available to Ooma Premier service customers, the next tier of service which includes more than 25 additional features for $9.99 per month.

Ooma customer Kellie Scrogum, for example, bought an Ooma Telo for her elderly parents in order to help them save money on their monthly phone bill as well as for the advanced features not present in basic phone service. When her mother called 911 because her father needed help, Kellie received a text and an email informing her that a 911 call was made from her parents’ line.

Other features available from Ooma’s basic level of service include free nationwide calls, caller-ID, call waiting and 911 service as well as Ooma Bluetooth service which allows mobile phone calls to be answered on an Ooma home system and Ooma Wireless service which allows an Ooma Telo to operate from anywhere within the range of a wireless network. Basic service also includes one-touch home voicemail access or remote voicemail access from any phone or web browser.

Jim Gustke, Vice President of Marketing at Ooma commented on the 911 Alerts expansion: “Based on overwhelmingly positive customer feedback and the difference that 911 Alerts can help make in an emergency situation, we decided to make it available for free to all of our Basic service customers. We hope that our customers will never have to receive a 911 Alert, but the opportunity to be on top of an unexpected emergency at home, or with someone close to them, adds a lot of peace of mind. Free 911 Alerts is just one feature of many that clearly sets Ooma apart from other home phone service options.”

Earlier this year, Ooma announced the release of a new cordless handset offering call clarity and cutting-edge smartphone features.

Together with Ooma Telo, the HD2 Handset can capture twice the voice data to, “double the fidelity of standard phone calls” and make crystal clear HD voice call clarity possible.