Panasonic Launches New Range Of SIP Desk Phones
After a couple of years testing the SMB/SOHO marketplace with the KX-TGP5x0 SIP/DECT series Panasonic has today launched a new range of desktop SIP phones. There are initially three models in this new range, from the entry level KX-UT113 to the top-of-the-range KX-UT136 (pictured). List prices run from $120 to $270.
Compatible with Asterisk & Broadsoft’s Broadworks they seem to have all the features that you might expect, including POE and support for G.722 based wideband audio.
The support for wideband audio is nice. If anything like the earlier SIP/DECT models it’s a little limited because the devices are fundamentally designed around dialing by PSTN numbers, with no facility for handling SIP URIs.
I’ve always like the feel of Panasonic hardware. They got off to a rough start with the KX-TGP5x0 SIP/DECT series, but with the experience of Asterisk & Broadsoft certification behind them I would expect that by now they are now better positioned to address the SOHO market.
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Someone really should do something about those pictures after the jump 😛
Didn’t Panasonic’s rough start with the KX-TGP550 systems lead more directly to KX-TGP551? I.e. go proprietary — it only works with panasoniccloud.com — to eliminate end-user configuration completely and scoop up the subscription revenue. I don’t know if they have discontinued the generic 550 line yet, but I bet they will, as part of their “position[ing] to address the SOHO market”!
Panasonic had a third party help them get certified for use with Broadsoft’s Broadworks service. I presume that this is the basis of their cloud service offering. If it is then at least it’s better than their former partnership with Delta Three, which created a service called “JoIP” Their early SIP capable cordless phones were locked to JoIP.
By “rough start” I meant that they were selling the KX-TGP5x0 systems long before they had anyone in the company who could support them, and the initial firmware load was really bad.