The classic telephones in the new UWH building are not controlled via the previous ISDN telephone system, but via a new, more powerful VoIP (Voice over IP) telephone system, which will replace the old system and thus also the old telephones on campus in the near future. This is necessary in order to achieve more flexibility and options for action, which, among other things, will allow telephone calls to be encrypted using university telephone numbers.

Most of the workstations in the new building are equipped with Cisco 8841 telephones, while meeting rooms and focus rooms are equipped with 7811 telephones. Instead of a traditional telephone, softphones via app are already being used in isolated cases, regardless of location. These are installed centrally on the workstations by BIT and then used with the aid of a headset.

The softphones, whether for Windows, Macs or smartphones, have almost the same capabilities as a classic telephone and offer the advantage that they can also be used conveniently in the home office. Private telephones or business cell phones are then no longer necessary for business calls from home.

Some telephony functions will only be activated gradually. This means, for example, that answering machines or an integration of our central Outlook address book will not yet be available. Later, functions such as answering machines, call lists, forwarding, address books, etc. will be centrally accessed and operated via a user portal for telephony, regardless of whether softphones or conventional telephones are used.