Go Directly to Page Content
Go Directly to Site Search
Go Directly to Site Navigation
ITS Networking & Telecommunications

News Archive: March–April 2001

NetworkTwo National Dial-In Service to Cease Operation

Posted April 26, 2001

The NetworkTwo national dial-in service, offered to the U-M community through ITCom, will be discontinued later this spring. The NetworkTwo company has filed for bankruptcy protection and will most likely cease operation of the network by mid-May. University members who have been using this service will need to switch to one of the other national dial-in services available through ITCom or choose another Internet Service Provider (ISP) for access outside of Michigan as soon as possible.

The two other national dial-services available through ITCom are

  • Merit Global Service ($2.00/hour at all times of day)
  • Merit For-Fee 800 Service ($5.75/hour at all times of day)

For more information about these services, see the Dial-In page.

517 Area Code to Split

Posted March 15, 2001

The Lansing and Saginaw areas, which currently share the 517 area code, will each have their own area code when the new 989 area code is added this year. The southern portion of the area currently using 517, including Lansing, will continue to use 517. The northern portion—including Saginaw, Midland, Bay City, Mount Pleasant, and Alpena—will use the new 989 area code.

Optional dialing of the new 989 area code will begin April 7 and run through October 5. During that time, callers can dial either 517 or 989 as the area code when making long-distance calls to the Saginaw area. Mandatory dialing of the new area code begins October 6. From then on, the 989 area code must be used when making long-distance calls to the Saginaw area.

For more detail and updates, see the Midwest Region Area Code Information page (link now obsolete—06/2002) on the Web.

"Meet Me" Conference Calls Upgraded

Posted March 12, 2001

The popular "Meet Me" conference calling system (where all parties dial into a common number at a scheduled time) is now even easier to use and more secure than before, thanks to a new hardware/software package called a Meridian Integrated Conference Bridge. Recent enhancements include a new 1-800 number option for calls within the US, password access, and more control options for the call facilitator. Conference calls are a low-cost, secure way to conduct meetings, interviews, or discussions with colleagues in different locations. To learn more about Meet Me and Operator-Assisted calling options and prices, please see http://www.itcom.itd.umich.edu/operators/confcall.html.