Abstract: An emergency telephone system has a dual mode, hybrid emergency telephone station connected with a central station through both a digital ethernet connection for digital VOIP communication and through a wire line for analog communication. Circuitry at the dual mode emergency station connects a user terminal with the digital ethernet connection and the wire line. A processor forming a part of the circuitry directs communication through the ethernet connection if operative and through the analog wire connection if the ethernet connection is inoperative.