SUVON (State University Voice Operated Network) Retirement

1. SUVON (State University Voice Operated Network) Retirement Barbara A. Patrick Manager, Customer Service Michael Morgan Manager, Regional Telecom

2. SUVON (State University Voice Operated Network) Retirement The Indiana Higher Education Telecommunications System (IHETS) plans to retire its SUVON service, effective May 31, 2008. SUVON is a private state voice network that provides long distance calling to faculty and staff at more than 75 universities, colleges, and K-12 institutions throughout Indiana at no charge to the caller. All fees associated with Indiana University's use of the SUVON network are currently funded by University Information Technology Services (UITS). Traditionally, to access SUVON on the IUB or IUPUI campus you would dial 16 plus the area code and seven digit telephone number. Additionally, at the IUB campus, direct dialed calls (9+1+area code+ number) are routed via SUVON, when possible, to avoid unnecessary long distance charges. The IHETS decision to terminate this service will result in a shift in how calls are routed and billed within IU’s telephone system. Starting June 1, 2008, “16” access code dialing will be discontinued. All calls that previously used SUVON will be routed via IU’s long distance provider, meaning that long distance charges will apply to calls previously carried on the SUVON network.

3. In an effort to minimize the impact to departmental budgets, UITS is planning two courses of action that will take effect on June 1, 2008: All calls made from the IUB or IUPUI campus to any other IU campus will be free of charge. The dial plan will require 10 digit dialing (9+1+area code+ number) and an authorization code, but all calls will be billed at a $0.00 rate. All domestic long distance calls (in state and out of state) will be billed at a reduced rate of $0.07 per minute for the first 60 seconds of the call and in 15 second increments thereafter. Your July 1, 2008, billing statement will reflect this rate reduction and incremental billing change. To help you plan for SUVON’s discontinuation, UITS will provide a summary of your unit’s past eight to twelve months of SUVON calls, estimating the costs for those calls at the new reduced long distance rates. To obtain this report, please contact commreq@iu.edu. Questions? See the following frequently asked questions (FAQs). For more information, call UITS Telephone Services Customer Service: IUB – (812) 856-2287 IUPUI – (317) 274-3004

4. SUVON FAQs What is SUVON? SUVON (State Universities Voice Operated Network) is an IHETS (Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System) service that provides long distance calling to faculty and staff at over 75 universities, colleges, and K-12 institutions throughout Indiana at no charge to the caller. Does University Information Technology Services (UITS) manage SUVON? No, SUVON is managed by IHETS – UITS has no control over SUVON.

5. How do we know if we’ve been placing calls over SUVON? Each campus is assigned an access code, which you must dial first when you use SUVON to make a campus-to-campus long distance call. At IUB and IUPUI, the code is 16. Additionally, at the IUB campus, direct dialed calls (9+1+area code+ number) are routed via SUVON when possible.

6. Why is SUVON being discontinued? IHETS made the decision to discontinue SUVON so as to re-focus its mission and change the number and kinds of telecommunication and e-learning services it provides.

7. When is SUVON being discontinued? IHETS is retiring its SUVON service, effective May 31, 2008.

8. Is the service ending for all SUVON participants, or just for IU? This service is being discontinued at all of SUVON’s 75+ universities, colleges, and K-12 institutions throughout Indiana.

9. What does this mean for us? Use of the “16” access code will stop June 1, 2008, so you will need to dial 9+1+[area code]+[number] and enter your authorization code to place long distance calls.

10. What is UITS doing to reduce the impact of this change? UITS is providing: Continued free calling from IUB and IUPUI to all IU campuses Reduced domestic long distance rates of $0.07 per minute Modified billing increments, so the first 60 seconds of the call will bill at $0.07 and then in 15 second increments thereafter

11. Will we be responsible for long distance charges for some former SUVON calls? Yes, as of June 1, 2008, you will need to begin paying for all long distance calls made to recipients other than IU campuses.

12. How can we anticipate the potential cost of this change? To help determine the budgetary implications of paying for SUVON calls, UITS will provide you with a SUVON cost projection, estimating the total long distance costs your unit may incur if calling patterns remain the same. To obtain this projection, please contact commreq@iu.edu.

13. What does the SUVON cost projection include? The cost projection details your unit’s SUVON calls (both to IU campuses and to other educational institutions) for an eight to twelve month period, along with estimated long distance costs for those calls. The long distance estimates reflect the new reduced rates.

14. Are there ways in which we might be using SUVON without realizing it? Yes, you may be using SUVON for pre-programmed calling, such as in the cases of speed dialing and fax auto-dialers. Also, on the IUB campus, calls may be routed over the SUVON network without your having dialed the 16 access code.

15. What happens if we dial the access code after the May 31 deadline? Post May 31, SUVON calls will be routed to a recorded message with long distance calling instructions.

16. What do we do if we have questions? Call Customer Service: IUB – (812) 856-2287 IUPUI – (317) 274-3004