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Snom, a manufacturer of IP business phones announced a slew of wireless and desktop products this week.
The new digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) products include the M65 IP DECT cordless phone and M700 multi-cell base station, which both integrate with existing phone systems for presence, paging and other capabilities.
Engineered in Germany, DECT is a digital wireless technology more common in Europe but it is now becoming increasingly popular with US businesses due to its reliability, manageability and cost.
The M65 handset has a two-inch backlit color display and a backlit keypad, while other features include wideband audio (including speakerphone) for improved voice quality, six polyphonic ringtones and vibration setting for incoming calls.
DECT, has a number of technical and economic advantages over alternative wireless technologies, according to Tommy Lee, director of partner alliance at Snom.
“Unlike WiFi or cellular, DECT is engineered specifically for voice and operates on its own frequency and never competes for resources with other forms of communications. Plus, battery life for DECT handsets is far superior – up to weeklong standby times and full-workday talk times.”
Single-cell DECT endpoints have a 300-foot range for roaming between base stations. Snom’s multi-cell DECT solutions provide considerably more, he said.
The M700 multi-cell base station delivers expanded coverage over several floors or throughout large buildings, and links multiple M700 base stations together to form a network enabling free movement and handover between base stations. This enables uninterrupted calls while moving between base stations.
The M700, which can be used in single cell or multi-cell configuration, supports up to 200 handsets, 40 base stations and 100 repeaters in the same installation.
In addition, the D715 and D725 IP desktop phones are part of Snom’s 7xx flagship series of phones.
The session initiation protocol (SIP) based endpoints feature a Broadcom chipset for improved processing power to handle voice- driven IP communications.
The D725 features 18 multi-color function keys, wideband audio, Gigabit Ethernet and a USB port for accessories such as headsets or WiFi sticks.
With 12 SIP identities (or lines) the D725 is aimed at call-intensive business environments and includes a Gigabit switch and five programmable function keys plus four SIP identities.
Other features include handling of up to 12 simultaneous calls, blind attend and transfer, call forwarding, three-way conferencing on the phone, and extension monitoring and call pickup.
“Snom’s SIP-based desktop phones are specifically designed with flexibility in mind allowing for the integration and configuration of features and capabilities to match specific requirements of the business and its businesses processes,” Lee said.