Northwest is first to pilot new Web-based phone system

Northwest has partnered with Colorado-based Carrier Access Corp. in a pilot program to provide Voice Over Internet Protocol service -- referred to as VoIP -- to about 10 percent of campus residents, including students at the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing.

For coverage of the Northwest/Carrier Access VoIP pilot program on CNN's Money.com, click CNN MONEY.

According to a Carrier Access release, the company's VoicePage software is capable of delivering cost-effective residence hall telephone service via a simple-to-navigate Web page.

The release called Northwest "an ideal partner" in the pilot program because the University provides a laptop computer and high-speed Internet connection to all resident students. It hailed VoicePage as "a giant step forward in solving the issue of supplying quality voice services to students and faculty at an affordable rate."

"Historically Northwest has been a leader in the realm of digital communications," said Dr. Jon Rickman, Northwest's vice president for information systems. "This easy-to-use, Web-based solution gives us the ability to provide phone, voicemail and email services -- as well as local, long-distance and internal calling -- using a university-maintained Web page available to students via their PCs."

Northwest has a long history of equipping its students with advanced communications technology, and in 1987 became the first public college or university in the country to create a fully integrated electronic campus. As part of the pilot, Northwest will collect user feedback to help in the refinement of this new product.

"As a driver of emerging technology, Northwest is the perfect location to host the first trial of VoicePage," said Michael Mayfield, senior vice president of Carrier Access' voice integrated solutions group.

"This solution enables Northwest to significantly reduce both capital and operating expenses by eliminating the need for traditional land-line phones, LAN upgrades, client software and associated management and licensing issues to support an application on thousands of student computers."

Essentially VoicePage permits wired phone service using a PC headset and without a traditional telephone or individually loaded software. Unlike other VoIP solutions, Carrier Access claims, the system is secure, centrally managed and resistant to viruses and hackers.

According to the release, phase II of the program will include emergency notification features designed to allow University officials to reach students via cellular phone text messaging (known as short message service or SMS), voicemail, email or voice calling.

The Carrier Access Web site is located at www.carrieraccess.com.

For more information, please contact:

Anthony Brown,
News Bureau Manager
E-Mail: abrown@nwmissouri.edu
Phone (660) 562-1704
Fax (660) 562-1900

Northwest Missouri State University
219 Administration Building,
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468

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