Public State University in the Northeastern United States Saves Over $250,000 During Campus-Wide IP Telephony Modernization

3-minute read time

Summary 

• A public state university needed to modernize its legacy phone system but felt trapped due to the limitations of standard Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches. 

• The university discovered the NVT Phybridge PoLRE switch innovation, which helped them avoid the trap, enabling a full IP deployment using its existing network infrastructure. 

• The university saved over $250,000 in infrastructure costs and enabled a successful, large-scale IP phone deployment. 

• By reusing existing infrastructure and avoiding new construction, the university significantly reduced electronic waste and supported its sustainability goals. 

• Impressed with the robustness of the PoLRE solution over the years, the university decided to refresh its PoLRE switches to the latest PoLRE offering with enhanced security and management features. 

Problem 

A public state university in the Northeastern United States needed to transition from its aging analog voice system to a modern IP telephony solution powered by Cisco Call Manager. However, many of the buildings had structural constraints that made installing new wiring expensive, logistically complex, and highly disruptive. Additionally, its legacy analog system had reached end-of-life, with support challenges and rising maintenance costs due to unavailable parts. The university felt trapped, believing the traditional network rip-and-replace approach was its only option, and that it would cost over $700 per port. This cost was an unfeasible expenditure for a campus-wide deployment of approximately 350 phones. 

Solution 

In 2015, the university discovered the NVT Phybridge PoLRE PoE switch innovation, which enabled it to reuse its existing single-pair UTP infrastructure and avoid the trap of ripping and replacing its proven infrastructure. The PoLRE switch delivers Ethernet and PoE with up to four times the reach of standard switches. The university’s internal IT team deployed several 8 and 48-port PoLRE switch models to support about 350 Cisco IP phones across 12 campus buildings. This modern approach allowed the university to bypass the need for new network runs, additional closet space, and building modifications. The deployment was carried out efficiently by the university’s internal team, with remote support and equipment guidance from NVT Phybridge. Impressed by the robustness of the PoLRE solution over the years, the university decided to refresh its switches to the latest PoLRE offering, which offers enhanced security and management features.

Result 

The NVT Phybridge PoLRE switch innovation helped the public state university modernize its communication capabilities across 12 campus buildings without ripping and replacing the existing voice infrastructure, saving approximately $250,000 in infrastructure costs. The solution eliminated the need for disruptive rewiring, additional network closets, and costly power backup systems on each floor. Instead, centralizing equipment in existing telecom rooms allowed longer UPS runtimes and simpler maintenance. The seamless integration with Cisco Call Manager delivered the advanced communication features the university needed, such as call waiting and multiple lines, without exceeding budget.

A university representative commented, “We were able to upgrade over 300 phones across 12 buildings without touching the old wiring, a huge advantage given the age and complexity of our campus buildings”. This modern network approach not only made the project feasible within the budget but also avoided unnecessary disruption, complexity, and network downtime. The spokesperson added, “The NVT Phybridge PoLRE switch innovation allowed us to move forward with the project. Without the ability to reuse our existing infrastructure, the cost of rewiring would have made this modernization impossible”. The university’s internal team led the deployment with minimal issues, and the system has continued to operate reliably since. “One of my favorite things about the system is that I rarely have to think about it. It just works.”

Sustainability 

NVT Phybridge network innovations not only supported the university’s IP modernization goals but also aligned closely with its broader environmental and sustainability initiatives. As part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, minimizing energy consumption, and promoting responsible resource use, this project helped advance those goals by significantly reducing electronic waste and material consumption while conserving physical space and energy across its 12 campus buildings. The project stands as a model of how sustainable IT strategies can deliver both environmental and financial returns in higher education. 

About NVT Phybridge 

Our mission is to help organizations maximize their IP migration return on investment by providing high-quality network solutions that are robust, secure, simple to implement, and environmentally responsible. NVT Phybridge is a global leader in PoE network innovations that eliminate the reach and cable type limitations of traditional PoE switches. Our diverse and award-winning portfolio of long-reach PoE switches and extenders help organizations deploy the latest IP technologies over any new or existing single-pair UTP, coax, multi-pair UTP, or 2-wire infrastructure without high costs, complexity, business disruption, or security concerns.