PennNet Phone Service: More Power at Your Fingertips |
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April 14, 2009,
Volume 55, No. 29
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Schools and departments looking for ways to streamline their budgets may want to explore converting from traditional phone service to PennNet Phone Service. PennNet Phone Service is Information Systems & Computing’s preferred telephone service that offers cost savings and convenient communication features not available with traditional telephone service.
PennNet Phone Service provides lower telephone, voice mail, and local and long distance rates because it uses VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. VoIP converts your voice into data and transports it over PennNet, the University’s data network. This translates into immediate and direct cost savings for those departments who switch from traditional telephone service to PennNet Phone Service:
• Fees for local and long distance calls are 50% less when compared to traditional telephone calls
• Monthly set rental fees are reduced to $3-$5 each per month compared to $10.40—$11.70 for traditional single-line and two-line sets
• Monthly voice mail charges are lowered to $3 each per month compared to $9.75—$12.35 for traditional voice mail.
The following table illustrates the annual service and usage savings a department may realize by converting to PennNet Phone.
Because PennNet Phone has features that allow customers to reduce the number of telephone lines needed to serve a department, it provides an opportunity for additional cost savings by reducing overall telephone inventory. ISC will work closely with departments to conduct comprehensive telephone reviews that will identify telephone numbers and voice mail boxes that are in use as well as those telephone numbers that have not had any long distance calls placed from them for the past 12 months. The reviews should potentially result in reducing the number of telephone lines and voice mail boxes currently in use.
New Features: Growing to Meet your Communication Needs
PennNet Phone continues to grow to meet the needs of the campus community. ISC is pleased to announce that conference room sets (lower left) have recently been added to our selection of single-line sets for the individual customers and to our selection of multi-line sets that support larger departments. These sets deliver vibrant life-like conversation. Also, call forwarding to on- and off-campus phone numbers now includes these options: Advanced One, Call Forward All, Call Forward on Busy, and Call Forward No Answer.
Plus, basic features provide unparalleled mobility over traditional service—with PennNet Phone, you can listen to voice mail messages via e-mail and manage telephone and voice mail features, such as call forwarding, anytime and anywhere you have access to a web browser.
Take the First Step for More Power and More Savings
To learn how to lower your telephone costs and take advantage of the features, benefits, and technological advances of VoIP technology, BA(s) and LSP(s) may register online www.tts.isc.upenn.edu/oncampus.asp for the PennNet Phone Lunchtime Learning Session or visit our voice services website at www.upenn.edu/computing/voice/.
Persons authorized to order phone service may also contact the ISC Networking and Telecommunications Service Desk at (215) 746-6000 or request a consultation, go to our home page at www.upenn.edu/computing/isc/networking/ and click the “Access N&T Order Forms Index” link. On the Order Forms Index page, click the “Voice Consultation Request (Voice Installation)” link to complete the form to request a consultation.
PennNet Phone: Not Yet Ready for Everyone
Although we realize that some groups may have telephone requirements that prevent them from converting at this time, such as intercom services, PennNet Phone features and service offerings are constantly expanding. ISC therefore encourages all Schools and departments to continue to revisit and explore the option of converting to PennNet Phone Service. Regardless of your choice, N&T Customer Service will work with you to ensure that you select the service and features that best meet your communication needs.
—Michael Palladino, Associate Vice President,
ISC Networking & Telecommunications
Sample Annual Service & Usage Savings: Traditional Telephone vs PennNet Phone* |
Service Categories |
Quantity |
Traditional Telephone |
PennNet Phone |
Your Savings |
Voice Mail |
15 accounts |
$1,755 |
$540 |
$1,215 or 69% |
Phone Lines |
25 lines |
$4,950 |
$4,950 |
0% |
Phone Set Maintenance |
25 sets |
$3,120 |
$1,500 |
$1,620 or 51% |
Port (VoIP only) |
25 ports |
$0 |
$1,575 |
NA |
Total Service Cost |
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$9,825 |
$8,565 |
$1,260 or 13% |
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Usage Categories |
Quantity |
Traditional Telephone |
PennNet Phone |
Your Savings |
Local Calls |
NA |
$66 |
$33 |
$33 or 50% |
Long Distance Calls |
NA |
$955 |
$477 |
$478 or 50% |
International Calls |
NA |
$157 |
$157 |
0% |
Total Usage Cost |
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$1,179 |
$668 |
$511 or 43% |
*The sample department has traditional telephone service: Nortel M9316 telephone sets at a monthly maintenance fee of $10.40 per month with voice mailbox size A at the rental fee of $9.75 per month. |
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