The Phones They are A-Changin'

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Stuart Gannes <sgannes () stanford edu>
Date: July 19, 2004 3:30:12 PM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: The Phones They are A-Changin'

Dave, of interest to IP readers.

Stuart Gannes
Stanford University

http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/about/news/2004/06-voip




The Phones They Are A-Changin'

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 <http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/images/news/06-voip-7912.jpg>

Related topics


*	VoIP background  
<http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/resources/network/telecom/fac-staff/ 
voip-bg.html>
*	Faculty/staff services  
<http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/resources/network/telecom/fac-staff/>

Change is good. Change that makes life easier is even better. That's  
the rationale behind Dartmouth's conversion to "voice over Internet  
protocol," or VoIP, for faculty and staff with 646 numbers this summer.  
The new system will converge the College's telephone and computer—and,  
eventually, video—networks into one. For users, this translates to more  
services, expanded mobility, and increased flexibility.

"Installation has already started," says Bob Johnson, director of  
network services. "We are in the 'discovery' stage now—building the  
system, collecting the data, aligning old features with the new. The  
phones will be on faculty and staff desks on or about August 12." The  
new system will be implemented for Residential Life over the next 12–24  
months.

Much of the change will be nearly invisible to users. The new phones  
will resemble current models and their operation and basic features  
will stay the same. The 646 exchange will not change. However, the new  
phones will plug into Ethernet jacks instead of phone jacks or  
electrical power, and the system will provide better protection against  
power outages, so users will experience enhanced performance.

VoIP also will be less expensive for the College to operate and  
upgrade. Dartmouth purchased its current phone system, called a Private  
Branch Exchange (PBX), from AT&T in 1988, and upgraded to Ericsson 10  
years ago. While state-of-the-art for its time, the PBX infrastructure  
has become increasingly expensive to maintain and offers relatively  
limited features. The new system, by contrast, boasts a range of  
benefits for users, including an on-screen directory; voice mail  
improvements, such as a "message-waiting" indicator; and the capability  
to use a laptop computer over the campus wireless network as a  
telephone.

 <http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/images/news/06-voip-staff.jpg>

Network Services staff will train faculty and staff with 646 numbers  
and install Internet phones this summer.

Dartmouth will keep the PBX system for a few years as backup and will  
resell or recycle the old phones, says Johnson. "Unfortunately, the old  
phones are not worth much money," he adds.

Beginning the week of July 25, Computing Services will host a series of  
one-hour training sessions over two weeks for users to get acquainted  
with the new system. For more information on the changeover to VoIP,  
visit the     Telcommunications  
<http://www.dartmouth.edu/comp/resources/network/telecom/>  pages on  
the Computing at Dartmouth Web site.

By Anita Warren

6/29/04

-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com
To manage your subscription, go to
 http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/