Calls to any Phoenix phone number are now free of charge from all phones on the UA network.
All phones will now be able to access the pre-existing Internet connection, called “”Toll Bypass,”” between the UA College of Medicine in Phoenix and the UA main campus through the Voice Over IP service, said Walt Moody, staff engineer for University Information Technology Services.
“”We try and put the technology in everybody’s hands so we can all save money,”” Moody said.
Voice Over IP has existed at the UA for a few years, but now it has been made available for everyone to use by bypassing the current long distance network, Moody said.
“”We’ve been trying to make it easier to use,”” he said. “”We just turned it on.””
Any phone on the UA campus can now dial a 10-digit Phoenix number – with no “”1″” prefix – to any 602, 623, or 480 area code free of charge, Moody said.
“”If you dial ‘1’ first, you’ll pay for the call,”” he added.
Toll Bypass will save Residence Life $2,000-3,000 dollars on business calls annually, said Joel Hauff, assistant director of Res Life administrative services.
Residence Life spends a total of $18,000 a year on phone calls, usually responding to questions, he said.
Residence Life expects 7,000 students to apply for housing next year, and they currently have 6,000 living in dorms right now, Hauff said.
He said he is excited about the free service from an administrative standpoint but doesn’t think many of the residents will be impacted.
“”Most students don’t call on the dorm phone, they usually use their cell phones,”” he said.
Petra Grubisic, an economics sophomore and Graham-Greenlee resident assistant, doesn’t plan on using the service to call home to Ahwatukee, which has a 480 area code.
“”A cell phone is just more convenient,”” she said. “”Now that everyone has cell phones anyway, it doesn’t make too much of a difference.
Grubisic said she thinks more students will take advantage of the change when it is better known next year.
Bryan Atkenson, a pre-business freshman who lives in Coronado Residence Hall, wishes the free long-distance would include his hometown, too.
“”It’d be nice to make calls back home to Chicago free,”” he said. “”You’ve gotta pay a cell phone bill, too, and that adds up fast.
