Voice & Videoconferencing

OIT's Systems Engineering and Communications Infrastructure manages and maintains the centralized telecommunications network, including Rice telephone and voicemail service.

Receive Telecommunications Assistance

Contact us to set up telephone service, or to move or change your telephone service. The standard response time for repairs is 24 hours.

Repair Desk
Repair Desk Hours: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday (excluding university holidays)
Repair Desk Location: Mudd Laboratory
Phone: 713-348-5555
Email: tele@rice.edu
Fax: 713.348.4798

Calling a Rice Person

Campus numbers can be dialed directly from off campus by dialing: 713 + 348 + four-digit extension number. To dial campus numbers from a campus phone, dial the four-digit extension only.

You can obtain help from Online Directory or simply dial "0" and say the name of the person or department you wish to reach.  For operator assistance during business hours say "Operator". 

Add, Move, or Change a Telephone Line

Contact Telecommunication Repair Desk to make changes to your department's office phones. The standard response time for these services is 3-5 working days.

Labor Rates

• Hourly labor rate: $37.50
• Overtime labor rate: $56.25
• Overtime hours: Monday - Friday after 5:00 pm or before 8:00 am, and also weekends and holidays

Rice Voicemail Instructions

For voicemail issues or voicemail resets, contact the Telecommunication Repair Desk (see above). The standard response time is 24 hours

First-time password

The first time you log on, you must change your password from the default password (78 plus your four-digit extension number) before you can listen to your messages. For quick reference, simply remember RU + extension.

Voice Mail Numbers

• Mailbox Number: Your four-digit extension number
• Default Password: 78 plus your four-digit extension number

Logging On Voicemail

From your telephone:

• Press your extension key (get Dial Tone)
• Press: Message key plus #
• Dial: Password plus #

From another telephone:

• Dial: 713 348 2000
• Dial: Your mailbox (extension) number plus #
• Dial: Password plus #

Access Messages

• On Campus: Dial 2000
• Off Campus: Dial 713-348-2000

More features

Unified Messaging

Unified messaging automatically sends a recording of a voicemail as a .wav file attached to an email. By condensing all voice and email messages into a single solution, Rice employees who utilize unified messaging no longer have to call in to check their messages. 

Contact Telecommunication Repair Desk (see above) for Unified Messaging: 

Costs

• One-time programming fee: $18.75
• One-time license fee: $72.25

Once Unified Messaging has been setup for your phone, you need to enable the Call Pilot Messaging Forwarding Rule.

• Access voicemail via your telephone, you will immediately hear the following announcement: "The administrator has set up your message forwarding rule. To enable your rule, press 85 and then option 1."
• Press 85, you will hear: "Message Forwarding rule service, the Administrator has set up your message forwarding rule, to enable your service, press 1."
• Press 1, you will hear: "Your message forwarding rule is enabled." Acceptance tone heard.
• Your voicemail messages will now automatically be forward as a .wav file into your email inbox. Voicemail messages will continue to be stored on your desk phone voicemail for 3 days, after that, they will be automatically be deleted. The voicemail messages forwarded to your email inbox will remain as long as you choose to keep them. It is recommended that you create a desktop folder to move these messages to in the event you choose to keep them long term. Otherwise you simply delete them as any other email.

Rice Nortel Telephone Help

Rice supplies Nortel models M3903/M3904. 

On-campus Calls

Dial the four digit extension number when you hear the dial tone.

Local Off-Campus Calls

Dial 9 + Area Code + Phone Number

Toll Free Numbers

Dial 9 + 1 + Toll Free Number

Long Distance Calling

Department chair or administrative officials designate which telephones in their departments have long distance capability. If the telephone extension has a class of service (COS) that permits long distance calls, you may dial "9" (for getting off-campus), then "1" (for long-distance), and then the area code and the number. If the telephone is limited to local calls only, you will hear a fast busy tone.

Overseas Calls

If your extension has a class of service that allows overseas calls, you may dial directly 9 + 011 + country code + city code + number.

Forced Authorization Code

Department chair or administrative officials may request a Forced Authorization Code (FAC) for those needing them. Each FAC corresponds to a specific university account for long distance charges. A FAC is used to do the following:

1. To make a long-distance call from a on-campus telephone normally limited to local calls only.
2. To make a long-distance call that is charged to the account associated with the FAC rather than the account normally charged for the extension.

Long distance using a FAC Code

Dial: 9 + 1 + Area Code + Number, at triple beep tone, enter FAC Code

International long distance using a FAC Code

Dial: 9 + 011 + Country Code + City Code + Number, at triple beep tone, enter FAC Code

Campus Telecommunications Services 

Basic Features

Telephone service is offered on a monthly fee basis to Rice departments and include voicemail, call hold, call transfer, and four-digit dialing for campus calls.

Monthly Fees

• Line Charge (digital/analog/VoIP): $20.00
• Additional phone with duplicate line:   $10.00

Faculty/Staff: Long Distance Rates

• Domestic long distance within Texas (intrastate): $.05/minute
• Domestic long distance to other states (interstate): $.03/minute
• Rates for International Direct Dial from Campus (TBD)
• International Calling Card Rates (AT&T) from outside U.S. to inside U.S. (TBD)
• International Calling Card Rates (AT&T) from U.S. to International Mobile Phones (TBD)

Equipment

• Nortel telephones: priced upon request
• Single line phones (cordless, desk, wall): priced upon request
• Accessories (such as headsets): priced upon request

College Residents

• Residential Telecommunications Fee: $15 per semester
• Note: Domestic Long Distance included at no additional charge for College Residents

Extra Features

Additional features can be added at an extra cost

Unified Messaging

Automatically send a recording of your voicemail as a .wav file attached to an email.

• One-time programming fee: $18.75
• One-time license fee: $72.25

Personal Call Assistant 

A feature that allows you to program another telephone number to ring simultaneously when a call is directed to your campus telephone. 

• One-time programming fee: $18.75
• One-time license fee: $20.25

Video Communications 

Zoom is a video and web conferencing tool that unifies cloud video conferencing, simple online meetings, and group messaging into one easy-to-use platform. 

Zoom offers video, audio, and wireless screen-sharing experience across Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and Blackberry devices with campus-affiliated and unaffiliated users. This tool can be used by Rice faculty to remotely connect with your class via a web conference.

More Information On using Zoom >