Tygerberg Municipality has installed a Philips SOPHO iS3000 Private Branch Exchange (PBX) network to streamline telecommunications between departments and improve its service to the public.
Clive Jackson, technical specialist at the City of Tygerberg Municipality, says with the amalgamation of Bellville, Parow, Goodwood, Khayelitsha and Durbanville Municipalities, a need arose for an integrated and reliable communications network.
"The specification called for the upgrade and networking of four existing Philips PBX`s and four additional PBX`s running on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) topology. The Philips SOPHO iS3000 iSPBX network proposal was presented by Ralph Krull, account manager at Philips Business Communications (PBC).
"After investigating various options we chose the SOPHO iS3000 because it offers a sophisticated and reliable networking platform. It was also very cost effective to upgrade the existing PBX`s to the latest software version," says Jackson.
The nine SOPHO iS3000 PBX`s in the network are all linked via 2Mb digital links. This enables all inter-office telephone calls to be made via the network, thus saving time and the cost of making calls through the Telkom network.
Each extension has its own direct dialing number, making it easier for the public to reach the required person or department.
Additional features include Least Cost Call Routing (LCCR) to ensure optimum use of the network by forcing all external inter-office call attempts via the network.
It is also possible to switch data traffic via the PBX`s.
Philips Ergoline ISDN telephone terminals have been installed for executives and secretaries to ensure effective communication.
A centralised System Manager has also been installed, which collates telephone call records from all the PBX`s. In addition programme changes on all PBX`s can be completed remotely. "This has enabled the City of Tygerberg to keep control of telephone expenditure. We are able to keep an accurate database of all PBX configurations," says Jackson.
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