Irvine

UC Irvine Modernizing Phones:UC Irvine professors and administrators, who in the past have had to wait in their offices for important telephone calls, will benefit from a new telephone system that is to go into operation on campus this summer. Installation of wiring and cable is under way, said Tom Taylor, UCI’s telecommunications manager. The new phone system, imported from Sweden, is part of a $3.8-million modernization that will eliminate the need for a central switchboard. In addition, it will permit users to forward incoming calls automatically to other on-campus phones, and will allow them to put callers on hold and make transfers without having to go through the campus operator. The project is to be completed in July, but user training should begin by early June, Taylor said.