HONG KONG -- 31 July 2001 -- PCCW is providing expertise to Hong Kong Baptist University for its multi-million Hong Kong dollar installation of Hong Kong's largest Internet Protocol Telephony (IP Telephony) system, using Cisco Systems IP phones and software.
IP Telephony enables the transfer of telephone calls and faxes over the Internet. Working on an exclusive basis, PCCW has been responsible for the two-phase installation of Cisco IP phones, which are plugged directly into the Local Area Network (LAN) of Hong Kong Baptist University.
During the first-phase development completed last month, 70 IP phones were installed throughout the University campuses. In August, PCCW and Cisco are to commence the second phase installation of more than 2,000 IP phones.
When fully completed by the end of this year, the IP Telephony system will replace the entire network of the University's basic telephones. Staff and students will use the new IP phones, which allows users to transmit video and voice over the system, and will eventually enable visual contact between speakers.
"To capture the benefits of converged data and voice networking, we began working with PCCW to deploy an IP Telephony solution for the campus earlier this year," said Professor Herbert Tsang, Vice-President (Research & Support Services) of Hong Kong Baptist University. "By combining different types of traffic on a single network connection, we have reduced the cost of our communication network, saving about half of the equipment maintenance cost with phones that produce enhanced services and efficiency."
Built on Cisco's Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID) solution, features of Hong Kong Baptist University's IP Telephony system include auto attendant, personal assistant, directories, Web-attendant consoles and unified messaging services. Unified messaging services allow staff to retrieve voice mail.
"The integration of telephony services into the data network has the potential to drive major changes in organisations through the delivery of additional applications," said Frankie Sum, Managing Director, Cisco Systems (HK).
"Apart from feature-rich applications and enhanced efficiency, IP Telephony allows the sharing of video, voice and data over the same IP backbone, which gives rise to reduced costs through simplified wiring, a single maintenance team and less need for multiple service vendors."
Hong Kong Baptist University's investment means efficient long-term savings, said Gary Chow, Director of Enterprise Business at PCCW's Group Sales.
"By converging voice and video networks into a single communications network based on Internet Protocol, Hong Kong Baptist University is now capable of saving tremendous costs, while at the same time enjoying unprecedented flexibility and scalability," said Mr. Chow.
As the University population grows, the network can also be re-configured easily to accommodate an unlimited number of new users, given a corresponding infrastructure environment, Mr. Chow said.
About Hong Kong Baptist University
Hong Kong Baptist University is a publicly-funded tertiary institution which places equal emphasis on teaching and research, with sufficiently diverse disciplines to provide a holistic academic environment for inter-disciplinary learning. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment that develops and sustains the whole person in all its educational endeavours. With a student population of 4,800, the University offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through its schools/faculties of Arts, Business, Chinese Medicine, Communication, Science, Social Sciences and Continuing Education. Located at the heart of Kowloon urban area, the three campuses of the University house modern and advanced facilities and equipment that create an excellent learning and teaching environment for staff and students. To learn more about Hong Kong Baptist University, please visit www.hkbu.edu.hk.
About PCCW
Pacific Century CyberWorks (SEHK: 0008, ADR-NYSE: PCW), the Hong Kong-listed flagship of the Pacific Century Group, is one of Asia's leading integrated communications companies. From its market-leading position in Hong Kong, PCCW is focused on building shareholder value by leveraging synergies between its core businesses and partners, and by delivering total solutions to corporate and consumer customers throughout Asia. PCCW provides key services in the areas of: integrated telecommunications (PCCW-HKT); broadband solutions; mobility and connectivity; narrowband and interactive broadband (Internet Services); business e-solutions; data centers and related infrastructure. To learn more about PCCW, go to www.pccw.com.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco news and information are available at www.cisco.com.
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