Residents of Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority have been the first students on campus to use phones employing a new technology called VoiceOver IP, which transmits phone calls across the College's Ethernet data networks.
Bob Johnson, director of the College's Office of Telephone Services, said that his department is planning to install the new VoiceOver IP phones in all dorms and houses on campus.
The phones plug directly into computers' ethernet cable port; another phone cord plugs into ethernet ports on the wall.
Johnson said that the advantages of the new system include significantly reduced costs. The VoiceOver IP phone system's operating costs would be about 40 percent of the current phone system's operating costs.
Expanded "reach" is another advantage of VoiceOver IP, Johnson said.
For example, the new technology would allow for the expansion of a service like the Computer Services Help Desk, through which calls sent to a central number are routed to many different lines.
Johnson and most of the Theta residents interviewed by The Dartmouth said that the phones have generally worked well so far. All of the Theta residents interviewed were especially happy to have free phone service -- including long-distance -- for the duration of the pilot program.
Nonetheless, both Johnson and the Theta residents described some problems with the new system.
Lacey Benson '04 noted that the new technology is problematic because she is a laptop user.
Since the new phones must be connected to a computer to work, every time Benson takes her laptop out of her room, her phone becomes disconnected. She thus relies on her cell phone most of the time, she said.
Benson also said that all the phones on the first floor sometimes rang when Esther Mihindu '04, a resident of the second floor, received a call.
Mihindu later learned that she had received her new phone number by accident. It was originally intended as a number for the entire first floor, so that a caller could possibly speak with all first-floor residents at once.
Laura Rosow '04 said that her voice sometimes sounded "metallic" to people on the other end of the line.
Johnson also said that there was a phone outage lasting for a day during the summer.
He added that as a protective measure, Telephone Services did keep regular phone service in place through Verizon during the summer at Theta.
The time line for the implementation of the new system across the rest of campus remains indefinite, according to Johnson, although he did say that no additional buildings will be receiving VoiceOver IP before Christmas.
Theta was chosen as the site of the pilot program because its residents did not receive on-campus phone service, Johnson said, but were connected to Dartmouth's ethernet data networks.
Similarly, Telephone Services next plans to install VoiceOver IP phones in other off-campus houses that do not have phone service through the College, according to Johnson.
Once the new phone systems are installed, residents of off-campus houses will have phone numbers beginning with 646 -- in line with on-campus phone numbers -- instead of their current 643.
