The Sam Houston State University Telephone Services have now been providing a free service to anyone on campus since July. Incoming and outgoing phone calls to and from Houston are now free. This service may be utilized by any phone on campus.
Many numbers within the 713, 832 and 281 area codes can be called. These services do not extend into The Woodlands or Spring areas. Numbers that are called and are not within this option will get a busy signal before dialing is complete.
SHSU has the equipment and capability of adding up to 96 circuits. As of now, there are 24 circuits which means that 24 phones can be connected to the Houston area for free. Circuits are easy to add and will be added as these services become more popular.
“Right now we have the most amount of circuits for the least cost, although we will add more circuits later as it grows,” said James Stevens, Associate Vice President for Information Resources.
Students, faculty and others on campus are already utilizing this new service.
“We see traffic all the time,” said Stevens.
When the caller dials (281) 657-6416, a five-digit telephone extension must be entered. This allows the caller to be exempt from long-distance charges. Through this new service, direct numbers have been publicized in this fall’s Houston telephone directories. For a list, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~ucs_www/update/” .
You can also find out the most recent updates for services at this web site.
Since Huntsville is so close to Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, Telephone Services wanted to make it as simple as possible to communicate with Houstonians.
“I thought it would be neat for students…good fit and better utilization,” said Stevens.
Shawna is a member of Mr. Blackman’s JRN 362: Reporting class.