Telephone Service
   Features
   Dialing
   Instructions

Voice Mail
   Subscribing
   Setting Up
   Using

Cellular Telephone and Pager Services

Video Services

Equipment

Getting Help

Intro to Telecommunications and Telephone Services at MIT

While electronic communications--such as email and web-based transactions--have grown significantly in importance, telephones still provide a primary mode for communicating at MIT. Information Services and Technology manages the 5ESS campus telephone switch and offers many telecommunications options to the MIT community. Offerings include providing phone services for students in MIT residences; the actual equipment; telephone services such as voice mail and conference calls; and cellular phone and pager rentals. Video services are also provided and include video conferencing and MIT's own Cable Television service!

You can find out more about these telecommunications offerings, and others, in this Getting Started Guide. It includes a handy reference for commonly used telephone features and all the basics for getting started with voice mail.

Telephone Service

MIT uses two main types of telephone sets: digital (ISDN) and analog. Analog telephone sets are basic single line phones similar to one that you might have at home. MIT's analog telephones are beige, with the usual keypad of numerals and other characters. Digital telephones are black, usually with a model number such as ISDN 7506 or ISDN 7507. The MIT telephone service offers a number of features such as putting a call on hold, transferring calls, three-way conference calls, and call forwarding. To learn how to make both direct-dial and operator-assisted calls, see dialing instructions for employees or for students.

Features

For a more comprehensive list of features and telephone options, see Telephone Features or the 5ESS Digital (ISDN) User Guide.

Feature	Analog Telephone	Digital Telephone
Put a call on hold	Press switch hook. At dial tone, press 77. Don't hang up.	Press the Hold button.
Return to a held call	Hang up. Phone rings; answer and resume call.	Press the call button with the flashing green light.
Return to a held call	You can use the hold feature to alternate between calls and to place another call while one is on hold.
Transfer a call within MIT	Press switch hook. At dial tone, enter the five-digit MIT number to which you are transferring the call. When answered, announce the transfer and hang up.	Press the Transfer button. Enter the five-digit MIT number. When answered, announce the transfer, press the Transfer button again and hang up.
Set up a three-way conference call	Place the first call. After it is answered, press the switch hook. At the dial tone, place the second call. After the second call is answered, press the switch hook again. All three parties are connected.	Place the first call. After it is answered, press the Conference button. At the dial tone, place the second call. After the second call is answered, press the Conference button again. All three parties are connected.
Suppress Calling Name Suppress Calling Number Suppress both Calling Name and Number Note: no difference for analog and digital	Dial 64, then phone number you are calling. Dial 65, then phone number you are calling. Dial 83, then phone number you are calling. For more details, see Telephone Features.
Call Forwarding to an MIT telephone	Forwarding Instructions to an on-campus or off-campus phone.	Forwarding Instructions to an on-campus or off-campus phone.
Use Call Waiting (Optional)	Three short beeps signal when a second call comes in. To answer the second call, press the switchhook and press 77. This puts the first call on hold and connects you to the waiting call. To alternate between the two calls, press the switchhook and press 77.	n/a

Dialing Instructions

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Voice Mail

At MIT, voice mail works in conjunction with the 5ESS telephone system. It can be used with either a digital or analog telephone on campus, or with any touch-tone phone off campus, worldwide. Any faculty, staff person, department, group, or dorm resident with an MIT phone number can subscribe to voice mail.

In addition to taking messages from callers when you can't answer the phone, MIT's voice mail system lets you:

•send, forward, and reply to messages
•send messages to a distribution list
•turn your phone number into a bulletin board or information center
•give special access privileges to a secretary or a guest user such as a family member
•store messages in an archive

If you are new to MIT, this document will guide you through the basics of voice mail, beginning with subscribing to the system. After subscribing, you will need to set up your voice mail by choosing an official password and initializing your mailbox. Once you have set up your mailbox, you can learn about using the voice mail system to know your options and best benefit from its many features.

Subscribing to Voice Mail

Student Accounts

There is a one-time student sign-up for voice mail and call forwarding service for each academic year. Summer service may be requested separately. Students sign up for voice mail via Campuslink even if they don't choose Campuslink as their long distance service provider. To subscribe, fill out the Campuslink form or call the Campuslink Service Center at 1.800.962.4772.

Administrative Accounts

To subscribe to voice mail please place the request with your Administrative Officer (AO). Your AO should then contact your telephone Customer Service Representative.

Once your subscription is received and entered into the system, Telecommunications Systems sends you the following:

Copy of your voice mailbox profile as it appears in the voice mail system database
Validation form for you to verify that the information in your profile is correct (Before initializing your voice mailbox, return the validation form to Telecommunications Systems.)
Temporary password for initializing your voice mailbox; see the initialization procedure in Setting up
MIT Voice Mail Quick Guide and a 5ESS digital or analog telephone user's guide

To set up Departmental and Group Voice Mailboxes, contact your telephone Customer Service Representative (CSR).

Setting Up Voice Mail

If you are a new voice mail subscriber, you must complete two steps; 1. initialize your voice mailbox and 2. activate call forwarding (forward your telephone to the voice mail system) before your mailbox will record messages from callers, or before you can use other voice mail features. Initialization is performed only once; however, call forwarding can change as your call coverage needs dictate.

Passwords

Voice mail requires that you enter your personal password to gain access to your voice mailbox. This ensures that you alone control the way your voice mailbox is set up, protects the privacy of your messages, and prevents unauthorized persons from gaining access.

As a new subscriber to voice mail, you are given a temporary password that lets you initialize your voice mailbox. During the initialization process, the system requires that you replace your temporary password with a permanent one of your own choosing. The voice mail system automatically checks that the new password is a good, secure choice. Password checking prevents use of the most recent password, an ascending or descending series, the mailbox number itself, repeating digits, or any other word considered "trivial."

Follow these guidelines in selecting a password:

The password must contain a minimum of six and a maximum of fifteen digits. Do not use a zero (0) at the end; this could result in reaching the MIT operator when accessing your voice mailbox!
Do not select a series of numbers that may be obvious to someone else. Don't use your birth date, home or work telephone number, license plate number, Social Security number, or any number publicly associated with you.
Do choose a number that you can remember but that is not easy for someone else to guess.
Never tell anyone your password. If you forget it, call Voice Mail Help at x3-3670.
Periodically change your password; see, To change your password.

Step 1. Initialize Your Voice Mailbox

You initialize your voice mailbox only once. When you start initialization, the voice mail system prompts you for each step and tutors you in using the system.

From your MIT phone, dial x8-6245 (V-MAIL) to call the voice mail system.
Result: The initialization tutorial begins by welcoming you to the MIT voice mail system, and prompts you for your temporary password.
Enter your temporary password. If unsure of it, call Voice Mail Help at x3-3670.
Result: The system requests that you change the temporary password to your personal password.
Enter your personal password of 6 to 15 digits. Press [#] to mark the end of your password.
Result: The system asks you to record your name.
Speak your first and last name into the handset. Press [#] to indicate that you have recorded your name. To re-record your name, press [*]; after re-recording, press [#].
Result: The system asks you to select the greeting your callers will hear. You can use the system's standard greeting, or record one or two personal greetings. The standard greeting is: "Your name is not available. At the tone, please record your message. When finished, you may hang up or press one for more options."
Record your greeting:
1. To use the standard greeting, press [1].
  Result: The system replays the standard greeting.
2. To record a personal greeting, press [2].
  You can record two different greetings, one to be played when you are away from your phone and one to be played when you are on another call ("busy").
  To record a greeting that tells callers you are away from your phone, press [1].
  To record a greeting that tells callers you are on another call, press [2]. (If you don't record a "busy" greeting, your "away from the phone" greeting is played.)
Speak clearly into the handset. Press [#] to indicate the end of your message. Repeat step 5b to record the alternate greeting.
Result: The system replays your personal greetings.

Note: If you wish to re-record either personal greeting, press [*] and repeat step 5b. When you are satisfied with your greeting, press [#].
Result: The system gives a few final reminders.
Press [*] to exit from voice mail.
Result: Your voice mailbox is initialized.

Step 2. Activate Call-Forwarding

Conditions: The following table describes the call forwarding conditions and gives the codes to activate and cancel each one. You can have any combination of call forwarding conditions active at one time; however, forwarding of all calls supersedes any other active forwarding.

Forwarding Condition	Activate	Cancel
Unanswered calls (your phone rings before it is forwarded)	78	79
Incoming calls getting a busy signal	74	75
All calls (your phone doesn't ring)	72	73

Activate: Follow this procedure to activate one call forwarding condition; repeat it to activate additional conditions. Call forwarding remains in effect until you cancel it.

Listen for the dial tone and enter the appropriate two-digit activation code from the table above, followed by the voice mail number, x8-6245. For example, [7886245] forwards unanswered calls.
Result: You hear a confirmation tone of two quick beeps, followed by the dial tone.
Note: A busy signal after entering the forwarding code and x8-6245 indicates call forwarding for that condition is already in effect. Enter the canceling codes and start over.

Cancel: Follow this procedure to cancel any call forwarding condition.
Listen for the dial tone and enter the appropriate two-digit canceling code from the table above. For example, [79] cancels forwarding of unanswered calls.
Result: You hear a confirmation tone of quick beeps, followed by the dial tone.

Using Voice Mail

The voice mail system has its own MIT telephone number: x8-6245 (VMAIL) from an on-campus phone, or 617-258-6245 from an off-campus phone. You must call this number to connect to the system and perform any of the functions available to subscribers: review messages, send a message to another subscriber, change your greeting, etc.

Calling Voice Mail From your MIT Telephone

Dial x8-6245.
Result: The system responds with your name and prompts you for your password.
Enter your 6- to 15-digit password.
Result: You are in the Main Menu. The system tells you how many messages, if any, are in your voice mailbox and prompts you to review them or select from other options in the Main Menu.

Calling From an Off-Campus or Other MIT Telephone

Dial 617-258-6245 from off campus, x8-6245 if on campus.
Result: The system responds by welcoming you to the voice mail system. If you are calling from another subscriber's phone, the system responds with that person's name.
Press [*].
Result: The system prompts you for your voice mailbox number.
Enter your 5-digit voice mailbox number; for example, 3-9999.
Result: The system responds with your name and prompts you for your password.
Enter your 6- to 15-digit password.
Result: You are in the Main Menu. The system tells you how many messages, if any, are in your voice mailbox and prompts you to review them or select from other options in the Main Menu.

Reviewing Messages

Option	Press
Replay Message	4
Forward Message to Another Subscriber	6
Erase Message	7
Reply With Voice Mail Message	8
Save Message	9
Skip Remainder of Message (while listening)	#

For a more comprehensive list of reviewing message options, see the ISDN Telephone User Guide.

Hints For Navigating Voice Mail

Press [0] (Operator) for help or to hear more options.
Press [*] (asterisk) to cancel what you are doing and return to the previous step or menu. When you exit a menu, you return to the previous menu.
At the end of a voice mail session, press [*] until you hear "good-bye." This frees the connection for other subscribers, and puts into effect any changes you made to your mailbox during the session.
If you call a person and connect to their voice mailbox, press [#] to skip the personal greeting; you immediately hear the beep to record a message. (This does not apply to extended-absence greetings.)
Press [0-0] (Operator) to connect to the MIT operator.

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Cellular Telephone and Pager Services

Cellular Telephones
IS&T Telephone Services offers cellular telephone rentals to the MIT community. They also provide information on how to purchase a phone and service to those who need it.

Pagers
IS&T Telephone Services also offers pager rentals to the MIT community and information on purchasing pagers for those who need them.

Video Services

Video conferencing is available at MIT. There are a number of video conference units operational throughout the campus. There are many units on the MIT network that they will operate with any standard equipment.

MIT Cable Television

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Equipment

Many work spaces at MIT will already be equipped with telephone equipment even though you may be new to the location. However, you may be interested in accessories such as headsets or shoulder rests or calling cards. Below is a full list of equipment available for purchase and where to find what you need.

Analog Telephones-Desk and Wall Sets (purchasing)
Telephone: 617.253.3692
Email : tele-info@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Note: a requisition is needed before telephones will be made available.

ISDN (Digital) Telephones (purchasing)
Telephone: 617.253.3670
Email : telecom-csr@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Cellular Telephones and Pagers
Telephone: 617.253.3692
Email : tele-info@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
see Cellular Telephone Services
Note: a requisition is needed before telephones or pagers will be made available.

Speakerphones
MIT no longer rents or loans out speaker phones.
A suggested vendor to contact is Hello Direct.

Telephone Calling Cards
Telephone: 617.253.3670
Email : telecom-csr@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Cords-Line and Handset (purchasing)
Telephone: 617.253.3692
Email : tele-info@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Note: a requisition is needed before lines or handsets will be made available.

Headsets (purchasing)
Telephone: 617.253.3654
Email : dcatalan@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

Shoulder Rests (purchasing)
Telephone: 617.253.3692
Email : tele-info@mit.edu
Building: E19-741
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Note: A requisition is needed before shoulder rests will be made available.

Fees: See Telephone and Accessory Pricing

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Getting Help

Who to Contact:

Telephone & Voice Mail Orders, Changes, & General Assistance
Web: Customer Service Representatives
Email: telecom-csr@mit.edu
Phone: 617.253.3670

Telephone Repair
Web: Telephone Help Desk
E-mail: 3HELP@mit.edu
Phone: 617.253.4357

Telephone & Network Services Billing
Web: Customer Service Representatives
Email: telecom-csr@mit.edu
Phone: 617.253.3670

MIT Cable TV
Web: MIT Cable TV
Email: mitcable@mit.edu
Phone: 617.253.7431

Telephone Status: 3-DOWN

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