April 4, 2002 - The Macau University of Science and Technology has chosen Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, for a new campus-wide IP telephony network becoming the first education institute in Macau to implement such a system. The new network will combine all of the University's telephone and data traffic on to a single robust system capable of handling all data, voice and video communications.
Installed in only two weeks after equipment delivery, the network combines IP telephony traffic of more than 150 Cisco IP Phones located across the University's new Taipa campus. The system is expected to provide the University with significant savings from simplified wiring and long term maintenance cost reductions.
The IP telephony network forms the first phase of an ongoing IT infrastructure programme for expanding the network at the University. The new network was constructed by Cisco's systems integrator Getronics and will eventually encompass a full 802.11 wireless deployment allowing users to access the network from any location on campus without the hassle of wires.
"In October, the University moved to its new permanent campus in Taipa where we wanted to employ a network that would be highly scalable, easy to maintain and ready for future deployment of multi-media applications. For those reasons, we knew we wanted an IP telephony system as opposed to the traditional circuit-based system," said Professor Zhou Li-gao, Rector of the Macau University of Science and Technology. "In just two weeks, the network was installed, in line with the schedule for our newly built campus. We are delighted with the state-of-the-art IP telephony system provided by Cisco."
The network is based on a 3-layer architecture around a Gigabit Ethernet backbone. It offers a feature-rich, cost-efficient IP telephony solution based on Cisco's Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID).
"More than 1,300 students attend the Macau University of Science and Technology, and we are happy that they and their faculties can now enjoy the benefits of a complete IP telephony system," said Frankie Sum, Managing Director, Cisco Systems Hong Kong. "IP telephony is rapidly becoming the norm for such institutions due to the benefits of converged data, voice, and video networking. By combining different types of traffic on a single network connection, the University will significantly lower the maintenance cost of its integrated network with phones that enable enhanced services and efficiency."
Sum said that Cisco views the school's new network as a sign of a broader trend toward installing IP telephony systems in the tertiary educational sector as opposed to private branch exchange (PBX) circuit-based systems. "Last July, the Baptist University of Hong Kong completed a similar such network, the largest operating in the territory," he said.
The Macau University of Science and Technology is a privately held tertiary education institution established in 2000. The University offers a variety of professional diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through its four faculties of Information Technology, Management and Administration, Law, and Chinese Medicine.
