With more than 30,000 telephone lines and 200 miles of wiring to maintain, the NOC voice team is essential to UCLA's daily operations. The voice network includes eight telephone switches, or computers, that process voice calls.
Switches perform many functions, from activating busy signals to routing calls.
Put simply, they set a path from the calling number to the called number. Thanks to sophisticated software, the switches monitor themselves. If there is a problem, the system notifies NOC staff who test and repair it. A stable network allows the 12-person voice team to focus on more than just telephone calls. The voice team includes switch engineers, service activation personnel, and repair desk technicians.