Polycom embraces Asterisk open source IP PBX

By Stuart Corner
Sunday, 29 October 2006 10:02

Technology

Asterisk, the open source IP PBX platform, has taken another step towards becoming mainstream with the announcement by global conferencing technology company, Polycom that it is to offer IP PBX systems based on the Asterisk Business Edition.
Under a multi-year agreement, Polycom's SIP desktop and conference phones will be combined with Digium's Asterisk Business Edition, to give small and medium businesses customers access to advanced telephony solutions which, Polycom claims, will be more affordable compared to proprietary systems.

"The new offering will give customers the control, rapid feature development and deployment, and rich feature base that the Asterisk open source community and its partners provide," Polycom says. Also, under the agreement, Polycom will become the preferred VoIP phone provider for Digium.

As part of the agreement, Digium will modify the Asterisk graphic user interface (GUI), Asterisk Business Edition application and Asterisk OS to tightly integrate with Polycom's line of SIP-based desktop and conference phones. According to Polycom, "The co-development work will enable simplified provisioning and support for advanced telephony features like shared line appearance, XML microbrowser plugins and Polycom HD Voice."

Polycom and Digium will also work together on joint marketing initiatives and joint selling through common channels. Polycom phones will also be the exclusive VoIP phone in Digium's Asterisk Appliance Developer Kit (AADK).