Frequently Asked Questions – UIS Telephone Bill

Q. Will there always be a telephone set billed with an analog line?
A. No – analog lines that are used with Fax Machines or computer modems and some other types of service will not have a telephone.

Q. Will there always be a telephone billed with any type of ISDN line?
A. No – you should only see a telephone billed with a Profile 6 or Profile 7 ISDN line and not with the other ISDN Profiles.

Q. What are the correct billable components associated with an ISDN telephone?
A. There should be the telephone instrument and the NT1 interface device.

Q. Can you have an ISDN phone billed with an analog line and vice versa?
A. No - ISDN phones can only be billed with a Profile 6 or Profile 7 ISDN line and analog phones can only be billed with analog lines.

Q. Is it possible to be billed for two telephones on the same line?
A. Yes – it is possible to have two or more telephones connected to an analog line.
No – it is not possible to have more than one telephone connected to an ISDN line.
Please note that for any phone service or feature item that is being changed during the month you should see both items (old and new) listed on the bill.

Q. Does it take an order to change the name or old password associated with a voice mailbox?
A. Yes – the voice mailbox must to be deleted to remove all old greetings, outcalling schedules, names and messages and then re-installed with new passwords. Please note that there is no charge to do this.

Q. Are there billable recurring items associated with calling cards, authorization codes etc.
A. No – there should be only usage and no billable recurring items associated with calling cards, authorization codes, CDAR codes and MCI Pin numbers.

Q. Does a name change affect only what I see on the phone bill?
A. If you request a name change, it will change what appears on your billing statement and the name associated with the voicemail box. It is the department's responsibility to request the name change in the printed and on-line directory. Contact the UIS Telecom directory coordinator, Shelley Perkins, at 6-0972 or your local directory contact to update the name in the directory. The name should be consistent in all areas. There is no charge for a name change. For more detail, see http://www.uis.harvard.edu/harvard_directory/update_listing/ .

Q. Can a line be billed for more than 1 voicemail box?
A. Yes, when a line is being billed for a Menu mailbox (FVMMM), there could be one or more regular mailboxes (or pseudo mailboxes) associated with it. For example, the menu may have a departmental greeting on the Menu portion with options to press 1 for John Smith, 2 for Karen White and 3 for Sue Black. In this case the telephone number is billed for 1 FVMMM and 3 FVMST (standard mailboxes). John, Karen and Sue do not have their own Harvard telephone numbers, but they do have a 5-digit mailbox number not associated with a Harvard phone number. We call this a pseudo mailbox. If you find a telephone number being billed for 2 FVMST's and no FVMMM, this could be an error. To remove a pseudo mailbox, you need to give us the 5-digit mailbox number being removed.

Q. Is there a charge to disconnect a line?
A. If you are disconnecting an ISDN line and set, there is no charge. If you are disconnecting an ANALOG line and a single-line telephone, there is no charge. If you are disconnecting a line and a set from a Merlin or Legend key system, you will be charged Time and Material for any necessary re-programming since these systems share lines.

Q. Is there a charge to downgrade a line from ISDN to ANALOG?
A. Yes, you will be charged $50 for Verizon to downgrade the line plus $42 for UIS to remove the ISDN set and replace it with an analog set. You will, however, save on the monthly charges for the line and equipment. See Departmental Telecom: University Information Systems for pricing details.

Q. How can I determine if a line should downgrade from ISDN to ANALOG?
A. Typically, an ISDN line and set are not required if the user does not need appearances of other people's lines on his/her phone. An ISDN line and set are also not required as long as the user is not in an answering attendant position (high volume of incoming and/or outgoing calls). With an analog line and set, you still have the ability to transfer a call, take a second call while you're on the phone and originate a three-way conference (you and two other callers). If you order an analog display phone (Nortel 9316) you can have Call Waiting/Caller ID (on your second call). On a 9316, you can have visual voicemail indicator capability, as well. If you are unsure or have further questions, contact your analyst.