Harry Morita

The telephone communication network throughout the UH Manoa campus system is complex and expansive. The system of over 9800+ phone lines is frequently upgraded to incorporate new digital technologies. One of the ITS staff overseeing these projects is the ever personable ITS Telecom User Services manager Harry Morita. As manager he is responsible for the operation of the campus telephone switch, which includes installations, changes, and repair of telephones and lines.

In addition to the 9800+ phone lines, the network Harry monitors encompasses:

After coming onboard with ITS in 2000 he applied his background in telecom operations, from previous work with the Outrigger Hotels and Bank of Hawaii, to convert the analog trunks of the UH telephone switch to PRI (Primary Rate Interface) trunks. This upgrade reduced UH Manoa's monthly trunk costs by 50 percent.

Following that successful project he moved on to what he considers his favorite project to date with the University, which was the major upgrade of the telephone switch in 2002. This allowed UH to offer digital telephone service and caller ID. Harry singled out the project because, "It was like getting a brand new switch, and it was a challenge to minimize the telephone outage to approx 8 hours versus original estimates of 16 to 24 hours." The Hawaiian Telephone technicians team he coordinated with became night owls working from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. They completed the project in six months and successfully minimized interruptions in normal daytime phone service.

When not engaged in his passions of golf and church ministries, or spending time with his wife Julianne and teenage daughter Hillary, Harry keeps busy organizing his staff for the next major telephone software projects that will not only upgrade several ITS service offerings such as VOIP (voice over Internet protocol), the Conference Bridge, and the telephone switch power plant, but will also add more digital and analog station lines.