Polycom Introduces New IP Phones

Polycom Inc. on Thursday introduced a new IP desktop phone that includes easier access to common telephony features and supports Cisco Systems Inc.s IP telephony architecture.

The SoundPoint IP 500CS phone is based on open standards and supports Ciscos AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data) platform and CallManager IP telephony system. It is the second in a line of IP phones to come from Polycom, of Milpitas, Calif., since last year.

Among the features is one-button access to common telephony services such as transfer, hold, conferencing and redialing. That access is available whether a company has fully switched to IP telephony or is in transition from traditional PBXes. The phones display also allows for call status information and control information from CallManager, as well as supports access to directories and emerging XML applications.

“Users will find the phone familiar and easy to use, yet will have access to a host of new features and functionality beyond that of traditional PBX phones,” said Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of voice communications at Polycom, in a statement.

The SoundPoint IP 500CS includes 11 feature keys, four content-sensitive soft keys and a message indicator. It also has a feature to automatically check for and download updates to Cisco CallManager.

In independent testing, the phone has been verified to interoperate with Cisco CallManager, Polycom officials said. Along with Cisco AVVID and CallManager, the phone supports other IP telephony systems through standards such as Session Initiation Protocol, H.323 and Media Gateway Control Protocol.

The standard price for SoundPoint IP 500CS is between $375 and $395 per phone.