Philips launches new IP-enabling solution for SOPHO iS3000
12 March 2003: Royal Philips Electronics (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG), through its Philips Business Communications (PBC)
unit, is launching a new solution for the IP-enabling of its SOPHO iS3000 series of PBXs. This new solution works
in conjunction with PBC’s ErgoLine@Net IP-phones and makes iS3000 extension features available on these IP phones.
The offer is particularly appealing for clients considering a gradual migration towards IP telephony. It is aimed
primarily at existing customers, who are looking for enhanced telephony features for branch offices or separate
departments of their organisations. IP-enabling of the SOPHO iS3000 series of PBXs will be commercially available
as from today.
Highly attractive proposition
The main benefit of IP enabling the SOPHO iS3000 is that IP phones like PBC’s ErgoLine@Net can be plugged in
anywhere into a company’s LAN or WAN, no matter how far away this may be from the main PBX. This can be a highly
attractive proposition for an organisation with remote branch offices, for example, because the necessity for
expensive leased lines can be circumvented, and the organisation will not have to invest in expensive additional
hardware like RPMs (Remote Peripheral Modules) in these offices.
IP-enabling the SOPHO iS3000 makes full functional integration between IP and traditional phones possible, such
as in a group facility, for example, in which members use both types of phones. Moreover, users can migrate from
traditional to IP phones and retain their original telephone numbers. Because user interfaces remain the same,
additional user training is not required and Moves/Adds/Changes are also easier because rewiring is not necessary.
System management can still be done with SOPHO Management@Net. The IP-enabling of an existing telecommunications
network in this way gives companies the freedom to migrate to IP at their own pace because IP phones can be
incorporated into the voice-enabled part of the data network as digital and analogue equipment reaches the end of
its useful life, or, of course, as a company’s requirements change.
Main beneficiaries
Smaller to medium sized enterprises are seen as the main beneficiaries of this new solution. However, its
evolutionary approach also makes it ideally suitable for larger organisations running remote branch offices,
because it will allow them to use traditional circuit-switched telephony in their larger sites and packet-switched
IP telephony in their branch offices. Enthusing about the newly created possibilities, PBC’s Vice President of
Marketing Marc Bauchant says: “By IP enabling our SOPHO iS3000 PBXs in this way, PBC is serving a growing market
segment in which more and more companies are showing a willingness to invest in hybrid PBX solutions. We are
giving them the opportunity to benefit from a mix of non-IP and IP-enabled extension lines. IP enabling will
allow our clients to enjoy all the benefits of a Converged Networks solution.
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For more information, please contact:
Vera Vincken
Media Relations officer
tel. +31 35 689 1014
fax +31 35 689 1606
e-mail: vera.vincken@philips.com
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's
largest, with sales of EUR 32.3 billion in 2001. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric
shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 184,000 employees in
more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components,
semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and
other stock exchanges.
News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.
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