NEC Australia turns iPhone into cordless IP PBX handset

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 21 September 2010 14:59

Business IT - Technology

NEC Australia has developed an iPhone app that turns the iPhone into a cordless (via WiFi) VoIP handset for use with NEC IP PBXs.

It enables calls from the iPhone to be routed over corporate IP networks rather than the mobile network, at lower call costs and NEC says it is compatible with all NEC IP telephony systems.

It is available free for all NEC customers in Australia and New Zealand who have the appropriate licensing agreements for their NEC telephony systems and can be downloaded from the iTunes app store and installed by individual users.

An NEC spokesman told iTWire that NEC Australia was in discussion with for release of the product globally, but could give no timeframe of its availability.

NEC says it was developed at its Innovation Centre in Melbourne and is based on open source code.

NEC Australia's Steve Morris,  said: 'Many of our customers tell us that staff use their mobile phone rather than the desk phone because that's where their contacts are stored - whether in the office or not - but this costs the business more in mobile charges. The iPhone application seamlessly routes mobile calls over either the corporate IP network or mobile data networks to save on call costs and give staff a single point of contact.'

NEC says: "By using Apple's Push Notification service, businesses can now originate, transfer and receive calls as they would from their desk phone. Companies will now be able to utilise their corporate directory to place calls to other users in their enterprise telephone networking and access critical business applications from their mobile, saving time and reducing call costs.

"It allows businesses to consolidate their telephone billing, creating efficiencies by leveraging one billing systems for both the mobile and fixed telephone fleet.