News – Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center completes voice modernization effort on post – DVIDS

The Fort McCoy Voice Modernization Project, led by Kenneth O’Connell and other team members with the Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center, was ultimately completed after four years of work in early January 2025.

The project’s primary objective was to provide the warfighter with a modern and sustainable voice communication system by replacing the existing, aging, non-supportable phone systems on Fort McCoy with a modern Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system.

The project was a complex undertaking that involved several stages, including core installation, phone migration, and the decommissioning of the old analog/TDM system.

The team faced several challenges along the way including supply chain problems and contract renegotiation issues, along with the changing all Fort McCoy phone numbers, but their expertise and cooperation ensured that the project was successfully completed.

One of the key benefits of the new VoIP system is its ability to optimize circuits, reducing the need for expensive T1/PRIs (Primary Rate Interface) and resulting in significant cost savings for the Army.

The telecom, networking, server team, Information Management Communications Services III contractor personnel, and the cooperation and support provided by U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy and tenant organizations played a crucial role in the project’s completion.

These teams and organizations worked together to ensure the project was completed effectively in accordance with Army and Department of Defense standards.

The change to the new phone system also changed the phone numbers at Fort McCoy. All phone numbers that previously began with 608-388 are now with a different area code and prefix — 502-898.

To see a complete updated list of the Fort McCoy phone numbers, visit the Fort McCoy website at https://home.army.mil/mccoy/contact/phonebook.

The updated phone book will also be available at the Fort McCoy DVIDS page in the 2025-26 Fort McCoy Guide by April 30, 2025.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Network Enterprise Center.)