Alcatel IP telephony goes mobile

Alcatel has added voice over wireless LAN features to its OmniPCX IP telephony systems

Alcatel has added voice over wireless LAN features to its OmniPCX IP telephony systems, along with a new softphone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) links and cellular extension tools.

Version 5.0 of OmniPCX Office adds support for two new Wi-Fi mobile handsets – the Mobile IP Touch 300 and 600 – which give staff the ability to make IP calls from different locations within the office providing they are in range of a Wi-Fi access point.

The vendor is working with Nokia and Motorola to find ways of integrating support for dual-mode Wi-Fi/GSM handsets into its telephony systems, but said Wi-Fi-only handsets represent a simpler, proven route to fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) in the meantime.

"We have Dect [Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications] options for voice-only; and we have Wi-Fi phones that will work with any access point using SRP [SpectraLink Radio Protocol] for staff that want wireless voice and data," said Alcatel's Trevor Evans.

In some cases, the cellular extension service may remove the need for dual-mode handsets able to make calls over both Wi-Fi and GSM mobile networks. The OmniPCX Office nomadic cellular extension uses a single telephone number to forward all calls onto either a mobile phone or the softphone installed on a desktop, laptop or handheld PC.

The system's PIMphony attendant also supports multi-site configurations and centralised monitoring so that operators can see the status of an extension before they transfer a call to it. "Employees can send a text message from their mobile to say they are out of the office, which will show up on the operator's screen," said Evans.