Westcon packages E-Series for business
Businesses will be offered a package of Nokia E-Series phones plus software to allow the phones secure access to corporate IP PBXs as well as data applications.
With Nokia announcing the phones a year ago, and shipping them in around July this year, distributor Westcon is offering three packages to business.
The first is the complete package, with multiple push email clients, including Nokia’s Intellisync client, as well as security, device management (also Intellisync) and support for IP telephony (Avaya). In 2-5 months, Westcon’s European Security and Mobility Manager, Bernie Dodwell said the company would have support for Cisco, Nortel, Siemens and Alcatel IP telephony clients.
Westcon is partnering with ISVs to offer the support for Nortel and Siemens, Nokia has written the Cisco and Alactel clients and the Avaya client has come from Avaya.
With the majority of the E-Series phones being GSM-WiFi dual mode, the packages open up the possibility of mobile phones being integrated with PBXs to offer single number, single device options to users, as well as being able to handle VoIP calls via a WiFi connection.
Dodwell pointed out, however, that there is a lot of work to be done on surveying WiFi sites to see if the can handle voice as well of data. And then perhaps money to be made in upgrading those sites if users see the benefit of ripping out the cables from desktop phones.
He also pointed out that not only do the devices themselves need to be dual mode, but the clients also need to be able to support the calls. At the moment, the clients are GSM only, although there are plans for WiFi clients by the first quarter of next year.
The complete package E61 with all the software components and support and warranty would retail for €1.095, Dodwell said, with the channel pocketing around 25-35% of that.
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