Introducing VoIP at UWE

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Introducing VoIP at UWE

• Jonathan Barstow
• Telecomms Manager, UWE

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Why more telephones?
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Student Village Telephone Requirements

• 1932 student bedrooms
• 4 pavilions (porters lodge)
• New sports centre

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Why VoIP

• Reduction in cable costs
• Reduction in costs of moves and changes

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Unfortunately..

• Budget cuts

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New Requirements

• 4 pavilions (porters lodge) 12 extns
• New sports centre 16 extns
• Disabled students ambassadors unspecified
  numbers

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Existing System

• 4000 extns, 7 sites
• iSDX at each site
• All sites linked by DPNSS
• Centralised
• Operator AC Win
• Voicemail Voice Connect
• Call logging - Proteus

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• New network drawing

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What we decided to do

• Provide Village telephones
• Sufficient infrastructure to cater for 4000 extns
  with easy expansion
• Resilient system
• Replace existing DPNSS private circuits
• DPNSS inter-working will be critical
• Pilot Unified Messaging
• Pilot presence indication/teamworking

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VoIP Trials

• Cisco
• Router kept locking up
• Limited DPNSS functionality
• Siemens
• DHCP
• Info stored in phones
• Echo
• Faulty card
• Phones liked by users - intuitive

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Tender

• Fixed budget requirements had to be flexible
• Evaluate tenders on like for like then finalise
  shopping list
• Resilient, robust solution
• Future h/w s/w requirements to be transparent

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Tenderers

• AT Communications
• BT Skynet
• Call Centre Technology
• Digital Communication Systems
• Echo TTML
• Logicalis
• Redstone
• Siemens
• SW Communications

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Tenderers - shortlist

• AT Communications Mitel
• Call Centre Technology Avaya
• Echo TTML - Mitel
• SW Communications - Alcatel

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Tender Award

• Chose Alcatel solution from SW Communications
• Preferred architecture
• Cheaper than anyone else
• All system management in house

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Architecture

• 2 resilient OmniPCX Call Servers separate
  sites, capable of serving 4000 extns just add
  licenses
• Diverse data links between sites
• 3 gateways to iSDX at Frenchay
• Gateway at each remote site
• Triangulated data links to major sites
• Smaller remote sites use PSTN for backup

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Alcatel Telephones
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Data Network

• Needed to enable QoS to all sites new routers
  needed in places
• Triangulate main sites for resilience
• Plan and implement voice VLANs
• Plan for new switches with QoS PoE

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Anticipated Installation Problems

• DHCP
• DPNSS?

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What went well

• Initial installation on time, on budget
• DPNSS
• DASS
• My Messaging/Outlook
• DECT using existing Siemens handsets
• Liaison with Networks team

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Actual Installation Problems

• DHCP
• Switch port config for gateways phones
• IP address grabbing
• DHCP student network
• DPNSS needed a patch
• 0800 calls from payphones
• Echo on analogue trunks

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More Installation Problems

• Connecting to Proteus call logger
• My Messaging Outlook extensions
• Operator calls show extn number
• Clearing

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Training

• 2 days training offered inadequate
• Dont underestimate the time it takes to learn a
  new PBX, even for experienced voice staff

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Continuity in Power Outages

• Only now are we addressing the problem
• We had anticipated UPS everywhere
• Capital costs
• Maintenance costs
• Space
• A few strategic phones
• Utilise digital phones over existing cabling via
  gateways

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Future Plans

• Gradual migration to VoIP
• New buildings
• Building refurbishments
• Shortage of existing cabling
• People with money
• Data network
• Many new switches needed

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Yet More Plans

• Existing directory on to Alcatel 4760
• Will allow users to dial all extns by name
• Auto attendant replace current one
• Voice Mail replace current system
• Home-working phones
• My Teamwork
• Retire iSDXs

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Eventually

• Pick up thy phone and walk

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To Summarise

• Installation generally went well
• We are well on the way to where we wanted to be
  but still one or two minor problems to iron out
• We still have much to learn about the system
  features and management
• Need to leverage My Teamwork and maybe XML
  capabilities of phones