telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (10/12/89)
We taxpayers in Illinois bought a new $108 million phone system for the State of Illinois last week, which according to Sprint is supposed to save $50 million over the next seven years. With the new system came a new prefix for State of Illinois offices in Chicago and a few other 'minor glitches' as the first phase of the system switched into operation. The network, intended to give Illinois government state-of-the-art technology at cheaper prices was inaugarated last week for state buildings in Chicago, Joliet, Collinsville and Springfield. "There were some minor glitches that had to be worked out", said Michael Lang, a spokesman for the Central Management Services Department, which oversees the state's telecommunications network. I guess so. The 'minor glitches' include calls to state telephones being disconnected in mid-conversation, a problem still not remedied several days later. The most noticeable change for most callers -- other than having to call two or three times to complete one conversation -- was the new prefix assigned in Chicago. Now it is 814 plus the extension instead of 917 as in the past, for the 5000 telephone lines in the State of Ilinois Center in Chicago. With the new system, connections will allegedly be much clearer and cheaper because the equipment is programmed to 'least-cost routing' to complete calls. When completely installed, sometime in 1991, the new system will also transmit video images. The new system was installed by Illinois Bell and Sprint under a joint venture contract over the next seven years that calls for a complete redesign of the telecommunications network here. Also included in the contract is a provision to train government employees to staff, manage and repair the system as needed. Patrick Townson
dritchey@ihlpb.att.com (Donald L Ritchey) (10/13/89)
telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator): In article (Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0444m05@vector.dallas.tx.us>), you wrote > We taxpayers in Illinois bought a new $108 million phone system for > the State of Illinois last week, which according to Sprint is supposed > to save $50 million over the next seven years. > With the new system came a new prefix for State of Illinois offices in > Chicago and a few other 'minor glitches' as the first phase of the > system switched into operation. When I first heard about this contract several months ago on a local PBS radio station, I heard the director of telecommunications for the State of Illinois defending the contract with the rather absurd statement that they had chosen to go with US Sprint for the carrier because "... Sprint used fiber optics that traveled at the speed of light, but the alternative carriers used microwave transmission that only traveled at the speed of sound..." Or words to that effect. Sounds like someone got sold a real bill of goods (or Illinois politics in business as usual). Don Ritchey dritchey@cbnewsc.att.com (or in real life) dritchey@ihlpb.att.com AT&T Bell Labs IH 1D-409 Naperville, IL 60566 (312) 979-6179