New phone system recomendations... ?

Edwards Finance > Phones

Q. I am looking for a new phone system for self installation (both of us that are installing it have good datacom backgrounds, cabling backgrounds, and OK phone system backgrounds, and are good at reading documentation).

A. Fiber is a must. Depending on your phone system, put it on the fiber too if at all possible to avoid lightning damage. Nortel can do this, as I'm sure others can as well. Do still add the copper though for things like faxes, modems, alarm circuits, etc. Nortel Norstar will handle this load quite well. The system, and the phones themselves are very, very reliable. I just had a 5 year-old phone yesterday that is used 8-5, 5 days a week for a call center. Some buttons had stopped working. I opened the phone, cleaned the rubber contacts and plastic contact points, put it back together, and it's as good as new. The ability to use analog devices will be there, but the cost- effectiveness of it may not. Look closely at the cost of this when spec'ing systems. Norstar isn't so good at this. To get an 8-port single line module I believe runs about $900. I haven't done any price comparisions, but it is my impression that the Cisco stuff may be cheaper than a phone system. It depends a lot on your current network infrastructure, along with your current telecom infrastructure. I would get a start-to-end price from a phone vendor or two, and a datacom vendor or two, and see how everything adds up. That was about what I was thinking, 12 pair multimode (don't think we will even need to think about single mode due to the short distance), and 25 pair copper. It would mostly be needed for the fax machines, etc, as I would prefer to route everything over the PRI and not break out POTs before the phone system. Right now we are talking with Time Warner telcom (used to be GST communications here in Tucson), about a split data/voice T1 line, and I think I can get it configured as a PRI. I understand though that they have also deployed quite a few Definity Systems on some of the larger ships... pretty interesting statement about the reliability of the (AT&T/Lucent/ now Avaya) system I think. I heard they are even using Definity Wireless on some submarines... not sure about that but would love to hear if anyone can confirm.

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