Change in telephony availability during power outages

When Communication Technologies (ComTech) implemented the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in 2007, it also provisioned external batteries to provide campus telephone customers a minimum of 60 minutes of voice service in a power failure. With VoIP, customers’ voices are converted into digital signals that travel across the Internet.

The proliferation of cell phones coupled with new Environmental Health and Public Safety (EHPS) guidelines — requiring hazardous operations to cease in the event of a building power outage — have reduced the need for extended run-times. However, the cost of providing resilient power has increased. As a result, ComTech will no longer maintain separate battery packs to support extended runtimes.

With internal battery support, the majority of campus buildings will continue to have at least 20 minutes of telephony service during an outage, but others will have as little as 10 minutes. Campus units with extraordinary needs above the default runtimes may contact Ed Rogers, ComTech associate director of engineering, at ed_rogers@ncsu.edu to explore options and related costs.