Durham University upgrades communications infrastructure and adopts IP telephony

Durham University is to upgrade its communications infrastructure after signing a deal with Siemens Enterprise Communications (SEC) which will see the university adopt IP telephony.

The infrastructure will support 15,000 students and 3,000 staff. It replaces six legacy Siemens ISDX telephony systems and legacy voicemail system. Durham University is also setting up a data network to underpin the IP telephony system. This will give the university option to upgrade to full unified communications at a later date.

Durham University will have 6,500 voice licenses and will transfer 1,500 voicemail accounts to a SEC system known as Xpressions. At the same time, the university is adopting SEC's contact centre application, OpenScape Voice, in its IT helpdesk.

Colin Hopkins, head of CIS Network Support at Durham University, said the organisation is undergoing extensive renovations in buildings and technology. "As part of this project, we opted to implement IP telephony across the entire university, to create a more efficient phone network that will ultimately support our ambitious plans to deliver outstanding service to our student base."