Boston College is planning to converge separate voice and cable TV networks over an expanding IP infrastructure, while University of Massachusetts at Amherst is devoting extensive resources to create a directory-based identity management system spanning networks and institutions.

The CIOs for both institutions are trying to judge when the time is right to implement rapidly emerging communications advances. "I'm not too concerned about being on the bleeding edge," John Drubach, UMass CIO told the seminar audience. "I'm happy to have volunteers in the audience bleed for me."

BC's decision to converge its traditional copper telephone network, coax cable TV network, and IP data network has several drivers, said Marian Moore, the college's CIO. One is to simplify tech support, and cut its costs. Another is the dramatic changes in phone use by students, who now rely on personal cell phones rather than college-supplied wired phones in their dorm rooms. "They don't need us anymore," she said.

A third, is the rapidly growing demand for various premium cable TV services, including high-definition and faculty-created video content for classes. Finally, there is the technology dead-end of traditional TDM phone gear, in this case a carrier-class Nortel MSC-100 telephone switch.

BC is considering discontinuing student voice services entirely, while leaving a handful of local-calling, landline phones on each dorm floor. At the same time, the college faces a potentially costly problem: how to improve cellular coverage and performance especially in the dorms. Moore suggested the problem may eventually solve itself, as the campus Wi-Fi network becomes more pervasive and cell phones with Wi-Fi adapters become more common.