• Conference Calls Using Your Existing Phone
• Using the Conference Bridge
• Meet-Me Conference
• Reservationless Toll Free Conferencing
• Reservationless FAQ's

Conference Calls Using Your Existing Phone

The following is a list of the different telephone models available for conferences utilizing your existing phone:

For phone models: 8102, 8110, 6218, 6219, 6220, 6221

Single-line analog sets can conference two additional parties for a total of three.

• To add a third party: ask the party to hold, press the "Flash" button, dial the third party's phone number, press the "Flash" button again and begin the 3-way conference call.
• To drop the third party: press the "Flash" button and resume the 2-way conversation.
• To drop yourself from the call: hang up. The other parties will remain connected as long as one party remains connected to the USF network telephone system.

For phone models: 8410, 8434, 6408, 6416, 6424, 4602, 4606, 4610, 4612, 4620, 4621, 4624, 4625

Multi-line digital sets can conference five additional parties for a total of six.

• To add callers to an existing call: ask the party to hold, press the "Conference" button, dial the new party and wait for an answer, press the "Conference" button again and begin conversation. Repeat these steps for each additional party.

• To drop callers from existing call: If you have a "Drop" button, press that button and you will drop the last party added to the call, otherwise you will need to ask the caller to hang up.

• To drop yourself: hang up. The other parties will remain connected as long as one party remains connected to the USF Network telephone system.

Return to Top

Using the Conference Bridge

The IT Communications department has made available the Meeting Exchange Conference Bridge that can accommodate 200 concurrent conferences. Callers outside the local area may incur long distance charges associated with their call.

The Meeting Exchange Conference Bridge is available for use 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, however there is no troubleshooting support or assistance available for calls that take place before 8:00 am or after 4:55 pm Monday through Friday, weekends or holidays.

IT Specialists are available to schedule or assist in conferences during normal working hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:55 pm.

Reservations are required by calling Communication Services at (813)974-4800.

When reserving a conference call, the following information will be required:

• Name of the Conference
• Host name, e-mail address, and phone number
• Number of Participants
• Date of Conference
• Time of Conference
• Duration of Conference

Return to Top

Meet-Me Conference

Meet-Me Conference will allow each department to have their own conference block assigned to them for all your conferencing needs. The number can be given out to your customers to dial in and join a conference call, set and administered by you! Each department will be issued a USF local telephone number for connecting to their conference block along with a password. One person in each department will need to be designated as the conference controller with full permissions to change the password after each conference.

Any telephone model can participate in Meet-Me conferences and can be set up year round. No more scheduling a conference bridge with the USF operators or IT department.

Each department will be given a USF telephone number to distribute, along with a password for gaining access to the conference. Prompts will instruct each attendee on the status of the conference and as each party joins, a tone will be heard. The automated conference prompter will let each party know what attendee number they are when placed in the conference bridge.

Specifications:
Capacity: 6 parties at a time
Cost: $10.00/month

To participate, please fill out the Service Request Form or you may speak with your Voice and Data Communications Specialists.

Return to Top

Reservationless Toll Free Conferencing

This is an on-demand voice conferencing feature offered through the State of Florida that allows groups/departments to initiate a conference call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without making a reservation. With this option, your conference has no time limits and can handle a total of up to 125 participants per conference. Each department must designate a Leader who controls all conference commands.

The Leader will be emailed the toll-free phone number (the "owner number"), which is their private account number, a Conference Code which is the number to be distributed to the conference participants, and also a unique Leader PIN for accessing and controlling the conference calls.

Cost: Free! You will only be billed the toll charges for the calls

Ordering: Please submit Services Request Form to request Reservationless Conferencing with the following information:

• Username
• User Phone Number
• Email address of the Leader

Once IT receives your completed request, the conference service will be available in 7-10 working days.  If you have any questions, please contact your Voice and Data Communications Specialists. 

Reservationless FAQ's

Return to Top