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Suvon policy

I. Background and Purpose

SUVON is the acronym of the State Universities Voice Network, a statewide circuit switched telecommunications system connecting the campuses of Indiana's higher educational institutions. SUVON is provided for the purpose of reducing the cost of network traffic from member campuses to other authorized locations and into those Indiana communities available via the network. The network is composed of multiple telecommunications trunks which connect campus telecommunications switching systems at authorized service locations to the IHETS network switching equipment.

IHETS, in consultation with users and service providers, determines the method for connecting each location. Facilities for inter-campus trunks are selected from the competitive offerings of public telecommunications companies which operate in Indiana.

II. Authorized Users

Users authorized to place calls on SUVON include:

Faculty and staff of IHETS member institutions. Each institution also has the discretionary power to permit students, under faculty or staff supervision, and non-university personnel under faculty or staff supervision, to access the network on a limited basis in order to perform specific university-related business.
Other users as authorized by the IHETS Management Committee.

III. Authorized Service Locations

Home and regional campuses of IHETS member institutions are designated as primary SUVON service locations based on the following:

Satellite or off-campus locations may qualify for approval as primary SUVON service locations based on the following:

IHETS provides SUVON service directly to each campus. Charges for this service are billed directly to IHETS by the service providers. Each SUVON location will reimburse IHETS to cover the campus share of SUVON costs. Each Primary Service location will reimburse IHETS the same basic service charge with the exception that no campus shall pay more than the full cost to serve that campus.

The Integrated Technologies Committee will conduct periodic reviews, at least biannually, of the costs for the SUVON network. When warranted, the Committee will recommend that the campuses share of SUVON costs be adjusted. Subsequent changes to SUVON rates shall be announced to the member institutions by January 1 with implementation to take effect on July 1, Each campus is responsible for maintaining local trunk connections from the campus SUVON interface to the campus telephone switching system. Monthly costs for these connections, if any, will be paid by the campus.

Installation charges incurred for SUVON service to campus will be paid by IHETS for initial SUVON service. Installation charges related to connecting SUVON trunks to the campus switching system will be paid by the campus.

Installation charges for subsequent SUVON network changes initiated by IHETS, will be paid by IHETS. Installation charges for system changes requested by the campus must be paid by the campus.

Requests should be submitted in writing to the IHETS Executive Director via the member institution's representative on the Management Committee. IHETS staff will conduct an initial review for completeness of the request. If all the criteria for the Primary Service location are clearly satisfied by the documentation in the request and if the cost of the installation and service is not excessive, IHETS staff will proceed with the installation and will subsequently report to the appropriate IHETS committees. If further review of the request is warranted before initial action is taken, IHETS staff will forward the request to the Integrated Technologies Committee for review and recommendation.

When the Integrated Technologies Committee determines that a location meets most but not all of the criteria for SUVON connection, the committee may recommend that service be provided at the expense of the requesting institution.

Locations not meeting the above criteria and other, non-member locations may be authorized as secondary SUVON service locations by the IHETS Management Committee where circumstances warrant such designation consistent with the purpose for which SUVON is established.

When an authorized SUVON service location is co-located with an entity not authorized for SUVON service, such as a school or hospital, only the authorized user is permitted to connect to and use SUVON services.

Secondary service locations are responsible for paying all installation and monthly costs associated with provision of service from the SUVON interface location designated by IHETS to the user location. A secondary service location will not pay less than the standard monthly rate paid by a member institution.

Requests for secondary SUVON service connections should be submitted in writing to the IHETS Executive Director. The requestor must agree to pay all initial and continuing costs associated with the proposed SUVON location.

The validity of these requests can only be determined by the purpose to be served by the SUVON service. Each such request will be reviewed on its own merits and rationale for needing the service. The rationale for accepting or rejecting an individual request will not necessarily be used as a precedent for accepting or rejecting following requests.

Requests will be reviewed by staff and a recommendation forwarded to the Integrated Technologies Committee for consideration. Final approval for all such connections must come from the Management Committee.

Secondary SUVON Service connections will be subject to biannual review to reaffirm that the location continues to qualify as a service location that is consistent with the purpose for which SUVON was established.

IV. Safeguarding the SUVON network

SUVON configuration and procedures shall be formulated to serve as many of the voice communication needs of higher education as possible while minimizing any opportunities for fraudulent use. Each using location must be responsible for protecting the network from such use. Users should be warned that personal calls are not authorized and that violators will be denied access to the network.

V. Maintenance of Service

The IHETS staff manages the SUVON service to maintain the grade of service (GOS) authorized by the Management Committee. As of 1985-86, IHETS was authorized to operate SUVON at a grade of service of P10 (Ten busies for each 100 call attempts) for each trunk group connection.

As of 1990-91 IHETS was authorized to provide overflow capability to the public telephone network via a common carrier for on-network and off-network telephone calls. The IHETS staff was granted this authorization in order to continue to maintain a grade of service as close to P10 in extreme peak periods of use without having to provide additional hardwire connections. The authorization also permitted IHETS to utilize this overflow connection for the purpose of providing SUVON service to locations not normally accessible via the standard network format.

Problems experienced by SUVON users are to be reported to the campus telephone operator. The campus telephone operator is to notify the SUVON operator in Indianapolis (317-263-8999) who will initiate steps to locate and correct the problem in accordance with procedures established with the SUVON network service providers.

IHETS is responsible for maintenance of SUVON which includes the switching system located in Indianapolis and all trunk groups associated with each campus telecommunications system. This responsibility is coordinated by the IHETS staff with Qwest Communications for interlata services and various local exchange carriers (LEC) for campus connections.

Each SUVON user location is responsible for maintaining their campus facilities which are connected to the SUVON network. IHETS is "the customer of record" for the network up to the campus demarcation point. From this point to the campus switching system the campus becomes the "customer of record" and is responsible for contacting their telephone equipment supplier.

When IHETS has been informed by Qwest or the LEC that a problem appears to be in the campus telephone system IHETS will notify the campus operator and request that the campus telephone maintenance personnel be notified. Any maintenance service charges incurred due to the requested call out will accrue to the campus.

VI. Calling to Locations Not Connected to SUVON (Off-Network Calling)

The ability to call off of the SUVON system into many Indiana cities is important to SUVON users as a means of reducing intra-state toll costs. This service is provided with the cooperation of member institutions who have provided IHETS with authorization to allow these calls to exit the basic network via their campus telephone system. The campus has complete authority to provide or not provide the service. It is the responsibility of the campus to determine if the campus telephone system has the ability to properly provide the service and assumes responsibility for supervising the use of the service.

This service is a secondary offering of the network. IHETS and the campuses assumes no responsibility for guaranteeing proper transmission levels on off-net telephone calls due to the introduction of additional switching systems when exiting the standard voice network.

In 1990-91 the IHETS Management Committee granted authorization to IHETS to expand this calling capability via the interconnection of a common carrier service into the basic network.

VII. Off-Network Calling In Indianapolis

Off-network calling in Indianapolis is a feature of SUVON. This capability is included in the SUVON service made available to all users by IHETS.

VIII. Extending Calls From Off-Network SUVON Locations

A SUVON call must either originate or terminate on the network to be considered an authorized use of the network. Telephone calls originating off the network and terminating off the network are considered to be unauthorized use of the system.

A campus may choose to extend incoming calls from authorized SUVON users at off-network locations to on-network locations. The campus assumes full responsibility for controlling the use of the service. IHETS cannot be held responsible for any transmission difficulties encountered during this type of call.

The IHETS staff is charged with maintaining the SUVON system, under the guidelines developed by the members of the consortium, at the highest service level possible.