[Hen] FX Lines and Toll Avoidance for Colleges

[Johnson, Bill]

Some of you may remember when OneNet (aka TIS) installed analog MUX on
our microwave systems back in the 1970s and handed FX lines to your
phone switches at your campus and hooked them in OKC either to the
Regents switch or the OSF switch. These lines connected to the various
BPXs at college campus's and were access by dialing a code on your
campus which then provided the caller with "Regents Dial Tone". On the
incoming side, they allowed your campus to publish "OKC Phone Numbers"
which were 405-524-XXXX or 405-521-XXXX. 

Some of that went away in 1996 and some were moved to T1 based systems
with much improved quality. More of them were turned off when OneNet
moved to full DS-3s of IP in 1999.

Today, we have different options, but the bottom line is that if our
colleges need it, we can still provide FX lines.

Back in the 70s, there was varying levels of interest in FX lines and
today, we see a similar variance. We have been providing FX lines using
VoIP technology (Cisco VG-200) for three of our colleges for 2 or 3
years and certainly have the capacity to expand to serve every school in
the state system.  

I understand that increased geography of the "local dialing areas" for
OKC and Tulsa plus the lower per/minute costs for long distance has
reduced interest other schools have in FX lines. What I'd like today is
to gauge the level of interest YOU have in FX lines to a switch at
OSRHE. I am not talking about replacing your PBX with a VoIP system,
although that is possible. Rather, simply providing your existing PBX
with some FX lines to our system in OKC. Would each of you give me your
subjective opinions or thought about this concept. If there is little
interest, we will continue to work with the schools on an individual
basis as needed.

Thanks for you help.


Bill Johnson
Director of Network Operations - OneNet
Director - Netrad Infrastructure for CASA
President - Oklahoma Distance Learning Association
405-225-9444
cell 405-919=1718
video 164.58.250.185