Information Technology Services (ITS)
Telecom migration unifies tri-campus communications
Published on: August 19, 2025
Historically, UTSC operated its own on-site telephony system, independent of central services. Powered by Cisco’s legacy call manager software, the system had become increasingly difficult to maintain — spare parts were scarce, patching was no longer feasible and the cost of replacing hardware and hiring specialized staff was prohibitive.
With their software license set to expire at the end of June 2025, UTSC faced a critical decision: invest heavily in outdated infrastructure or embrace a centralized, cloud-based solution.
The choice was clear. By transitioning to Microsoft Teams Phone — a service already adopted across the university for collaboration — UTSC not only modernized its communications but also aligned with a broader widely-used tool across U of T.
“This project is a great example of what we can accomplish through strong collaboration with our IT partners,” said Patrick Hopewell, director of EIS. “I’m especially proud of the EIS Telecom team for their superb project execution from start to finish. It’s exciting to see all three campuses standardizing on MS Teams Phone — delivering a modern, cost-effective, unified approach to telephony across the university.”
The migration added over 1,000 phone lines to the centralized system, each with unique operational requirements. From auto attendants and call queues to voicemail groups and departmental Teams accounts, the transition demanded meticulous planning and customization. Unified Communications Support/Analyst Rene Cheng, who acted as the technical lead and project manager from ITS on this initiative, played a pivotal role.
“Each line had distinct operational requirements,” Cheng explained. “I designed tailored solutions and led cross-functional coordination efforts — managing timelines, facilitating planning sessions and aligning infrastructure changes with Rogers, our telephony vendor. The timeline was notably compressed compared to previous migrations, which added intensity to the planning and execution phases. Nonetheless, through focused collaboration and agile problem-solving, we delivered a successful outcome.”
The project’s success was due in no small part to the strong partnership between UTSC and the central ITS division. Digital Workplace Specialist Safi Wakeely, who was UTSC’s technical and project lead, worked closely with Cheng and ITS Manager, Telecommunications Will Hu to coordinate departmental migrations.
UTSC Director, IT Operations Michael Young emphasized the importance of inter-campus support: “We would not have been able to move this project forward at its quick pace without the level of collaboration we received from the team at St. George.”
Beyond technical improvements, the migration has delivered tangible operational benefits. Signing up new users at UTSC is now significantly faster, and support is more efficient thanks to the elimination of third-party VoIP software. The centralized model also reduces staffing redundancies, allowing IT personnel to focus on other initiatives rather than maintaining legacy systems.
With UTSC now fully integrated into the university-wide Teams Phone service, the University of Toronto continues to evolve its cohesive and future-ready communications infrastructure.