July 06, 2023

University phone service to transition to MS Teams Calling

The campus recently experienced phone system failure, which has left much of the west side of campus without service. Because new parts are not available for the existing system, SIU Carbondale is moving forward with its plans to adopt a modern calling solution to support it into the future. Those areas without phone service will be transitioned first, with the rest of the campus to follow.  

This transition means that phone service will be provided via computer (rather than traditional telephones). Despite this change in calling devices, existing phone assignments and numbers will remain the same. Teams Calling has been used with great success for several years now, and the Office of Information Technology is confident that the campus community will be better served with a modern, unified communications solution.

This change will take place rapidly; the Telecommunications team will initially focus on the west side of campus, but it anticipates having a substantial number of faculty and staff converted to Teams Calling by the start of fall semester. Telecom will make faculty and staff aware of specific conversion dates, although departments or individuals without service can contact Telecom to request conversion immediately. Departments needing to expedite this transition should contact Rodney Emery at remery@siu.edu; individuals should contact Telecom directly at 618-453-2484 or telecomtsr@siu.edu.

Some areas may be converted as soon as next week; others will be later in the summer. Areas or individuals who miss the summer 2023 conversion window will be scheduled by request or for automatic conversion in the near future.

Faculty and staff will receive new equipment. To make this transition rapidly, Telecom has headsets for making and receiving calls. Headsets are being provided to departments just prior to conversion and can be used to set up and test Teams Calling. Additional calling device options are available (costs vary, and choosing these options will not delay conversion to Teams Calling).

Your Office of Information Technology team and various campus partners are all available to provide assistance as needed to get started and/or set up calling preferences.

Additionally, these instructional guides provide more detailed information:

Telecommunications and the Office of Information Technology look forward to working with faculty and staff during the transition.

*Because people are in and out of the office during the summer, it is possible there may be a lag in communication in your area. One easy way to know if you have been transitioned to Teams Calling is to check for the dial pad in Teams — if you see a dial pad, you have been converted and are ready to set up your headset and make calls.