Hong Kong Baptist University has installed the largest Internet Protocol (IP) telephony system in the SAR.
The network of 2,000 phones, powered by Cisco hardware and software, will provide the university with advanced IP-based voice, video and data services.
Pacific Century CyberWorks will implement the project in two phases, using Cisco's Avvid (architecture for voice, video and integrated data) platform. IP phones from Cisco are plugged directly into the university's local area network.
Gary Chow, director of enterprise business at CyberWorks, said the HK$6 million system would enable the Baptist University to cut costs and reconfigure its network to accommodate new services and users with flexibility.
He noted that CyberWorks also was forging deals for similar IP telephony systems with other academic institutions in Hong Kong.
IP telephony uses the Internet's packet-switched connections to exchange voice, fax and other forms of information that have traditionally been carried over the circuit-switched connections of the telephone network, allowing cost reduction.
Herbert Tsang, vice-president for research and support services at the Baptist University, said: 'By combining different types of traffic on a single network connection, we have reduced the cost of our communications network, which includes cutting down on equipment maintenance.'