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Cordless telephony
News that more than half of office
workers now make more calls on
their mobile phone than their desk
phone (see page 23) is not particularly
surprising given the greater mobility
of today’s employees. The problem
is that many of these calls are made
when employees are within the
workplace and should be routing calls
via the office PBX.
The question businesses need to ask
is are people using their mobile phones
through habit; because they find them
easier to use i.e. because that’s where
their contacts list resides; or because
they move around the office throughout
the working day and need to make and
take calls when they are away from their
desks. If the answer is the latter, then
there are tried and tested alternatives
worth considering.
The most established are cordless
DECT systems that, on their own or as an
add-on to an existing PBX, provide secure
voice communications with the seamless
handover of calls from a deskphone to
cordless handset (in mid-conversation)
plus seamless handover between base
stations for wide area roaming.
Recently, in line with the transition
from analogue to IP telephony, IP DECT
systems have been gaining ground. These
provide an alternative both to wireless
WiFi phones and to traditional DECT
systems, so much so that Peter Walshe,
head of Gigaset Pro in the UK and
Ireland, told
Business Info
that “in terms
of functionality comparing an IP DECT
phone to an analogue DECT phone is like
comparing an analogue DECT phone to a
normal corded phone”.
Third generation
Gigaset is now on its third generation of
IP DECT products since bringing out the
first ‘PC-off’ IP DECT phone in 2005 (the
Gigaset 450), prior to which the only
option was a handset connected by USB
to a computer running a soft client.
Combining the established benefits of
DECT technology – mobility, security and
a dedicated communications channel for
high quality audio – with the flexibility of
Voice over IP, Gigaset’s IP DECT offering
includes the N300IP and N510IP Pro
DECT IP base stations; the DX800A all-in-
one multi-line deskphone with integrated
IP DECT base station for home and small
offices; and the N720 multi-cell system
for small and medium-sized businesses
(see box).
Whereas normal DECT base stations
(but not multi-cell systems) limit you to
Business Info
speaks to Peter Walshe, UK head of Gigaset Pro,
about the business benefits of IP DECT.
magazine
33
01732 759725
one number per handset and can only
make and receive one landline call at a
time, the N300IP/N510IP/DX800A can
be used to:
n
make one PSTN landline call plus three
or four VoIP calls simultaneously;
n
assign separate numbers for each of
the six handsets supported, effectively
turning the base station into a mini
telephone system with call transfers, call
recording and voice messaging; and
n
subscribe to multiple IP service
providers so that you can route calls
according to which has the most
competitive tariffs.
Another interesting feature of IP DECT
is its support for data services, including
SMS over IP and landline; notification of
new email messages; and infoservices
based on RSS feeds, such as eBay
monitoring and tracking, traffic news,
horoscopes and share prices.
As Walshe explains, this versatility
has clear benefits for business users:
“Although the N300 IP was conceived
as a consumer product, the majority
of customers buying IP DECT products
today are business users. It could be a
teleworker at home or an office with an
existing PBX that just needs additional
cordless functionality,” he said.
So what are some of its applications?
“One of our customers, an advertising
agency, has a hot desking environment
and an N720 connected to their IP phone
system,” explains Walshe. “There are
pigeon holes where the DECT phones
and chargers sit, and when employees
come in they pick up a handset and work
anywhere in the office. They have 30 to
40 DECT phones in use at any time.
“Another scenario is a home-based
worker who could set up an N300IP
with multiple VoIP numbers – one could
be purely a work number, another the
normal home number and a third could
be for a granny annexe or lodger. You can
start to assign individual numbers for
specific uses.”
Walshe himself uses a DX800A in his
home, which is set up as an IP extension
of the main office PBX in Chester; with
a connection to the PSTN to make
and receive landline calls; and another
number to make and receive private VoIP
calls with separate billing.
“If anyone rings our 01244 Chester
number, the system will transfer the call
over VoIP to ring the home office phone
and multiple extensions. I have two or
Following growing demand from business users,
earlier this year Gigaset brought out the N720
multi-cell system for small and medium-sized
businesses.Whereas previously Gigaset solutions
had a maximum of six users, the N720 can
accommodate up to 20 base stations for broad
coverage throughout an office building, campus or
industrial site; 100 users (extension numbers); and
30 simultaneous calls. Being SIP-based it connects
to the corporate IP network and can be used with
Gigaset’s T300 Pro and T500 Pro IP PBXs, phone
systems from other vendors and IP Centrex services.
www.gigaset.com/pro
Panasonic, too, has recently expanded its SMB
portfolio with a new multi-cell IP DECT system
designed for use with existing PBXs, IP Centrex
and Open Source PBXs such as Broadsoft
Broadworks, Asterisk and SwitchVox Systems.
The UDT SIP DECT multi-cell solution has a
choice of small (4 channel) and large capacity
UDS cell station transmitters and two handsets,
the KX-UDT111 for general office use and the
KX-UDT121 executive model. Later in the year,
it is launching the robust UDT131.
www.panasonic.co.uk
IP DECT for SMEs
continued...
...are people
using mobile
phones
through
habit...?
The case for IP DECT