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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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VoIP System Is a Failure, City Says

GEORGETOWN, Texas (CN) - The City of Round Rock sued Dallas-based Mercury Communications Services, claiming it is too understaffed and undertrained to handle a citywide Voice over Internet Protocol service that's been plagued with dropped calls, syncing failures and computer crashes.

Round Rock sued Mercury in Williamson County Court. The city says it hired Mercury in December 2010 to install and maintain the VoIP system, which transmits voice communications over the Internet rather than traditional telephone lines. Installation began in February 2011. When the system launched in July 2011, it immediately was plagued by serious problems, Round Rock says.

"These problems included consistent and extensive hardware and software issues, dropped calls, voicemail issues, syncing failures, dysfunctional software integration and software crashes, among other issues," according to the complaint. "Mercury's technicians have since admitted that they have not been trained in the system Mercury attempted to implement for the city and that the technicians are 'learning as they go.'"

The city seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and actual damages for breach of contract. It is represented by Cindy Bourland of Round Rock.

Round Rock is about 20 miles north of Austin. Mercury has been a telecom service provider in Texas for three decades, according to its website.

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