3CX’s affordable Phone System is the IP PBX
host with the most and a great choice for SMEs

SMEs that want to host their own IP PBX will love 3CX's Phone System, as it offers every feature they could possibly need. Furthermore, pricing is based on the number of simultaneous calls and not physical extensions, making it even easier to choose the right license.

3CX also offers a free 16SC version which supports 16 simultaneous calls and includes maintenance for the first year. If you don't renew the contract after this period, it automatically drops to the 4SC version which includes perpetual updates.

You can host Phone System on a Windows or Linux server, run it on a mini PC, virtualize it on Hyper-V, VMware or KVM hosts or cloud host it with providers such as Amazon Lightsail, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. If you decide to go from on-premises to the cloud, the new PBX Express tool migrates your IP PBX without losing your settings.

For testing, we used an HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen9 rack server equipped with a 3.4GHz Xeon E3-1230 v5 CPU and 16GB of DDR4 - powerful enough to handle 256 simultaneous calls. Software installation is swift and the setup wizard had us up and running in 30 minutes.

We needed to open up SIP and RTP ports on our firewall using port forwarding rules, but 3CX provides detailed online tutorials. On completion, a firewall checker tested all required ports and gave us a green light to continue.

3CX requires an external FQDN (fully qualified domain name) and SSL certificate to ensure remote users can connect securely to the IP PBX. It can provide these services for you and they will still continue to function even if you're running the free 4SC version.

Just create an extension number for each user; importing them from Active Directory adds details such as email addresses and mobile numbers. 3CX also provides SMTP services and users receive an email with extension details, voice mail access PIN and a download link for the 3CX Windows softphone along with a registration file.

IP phone provisioning is a walk in the park: our Yealink T23G phones appeared in the console as soon as they came online. After assigning them to each user, they were set up automatically and even had their firmware updated to the latest version.

3CX offers a stunning range of call handling features and its smart console provides easy access to them. Inbound rules allowed us to assign our SIP trunk phone number aliases to selected extensions and route them to voicemail or an external number outside of office hours.

Caller ID inbound rules route calls from specific numbers to selected extensions while call queues and ring groups ensure calls are always answered. Outbound rules control all aspects of outgoing calls and for backup, you can assign up to 5 SIP trunks.

A digital receptionist ensures callers go to the correct person by presenting them with custom messages and menu options. Each user can have their calls recorded to the Phone System host as WAV files while hot-desking in the Pro and Enterprise versions allows selected extensions to be shared by multiple users.

Free softphones for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices are provided and we registered our iPad by scanning the QR code in our personal web portal. The portal also provided quick access for running web meetings or conferences and accessing call features, chats, contacts and voice mail.

A great combination of call handling features and deployment options makes 3CX's Phone System the perfect choice for SMEs that want to host their own IP PBX. It's easy to install and manage and simply won't be beaten for value.

Verdict:.

This article was written and originally published on ITPro

Nology, the Platinum distributor for Yealink in South Africa, has recently announced the local availability of a new addition to the Yealink Conference Phone range, the CP930W Cordless DECT Conference Phone. The Yealink CP930W is a unique product to this market segment, which allows easy connectivity to existing DECT solutions and participants to make conference calls where they want, when they want. The CP930W simply connects to the Yealink W60B base station and uses tried and tested DECT technology to ensure excellent call quality, without cords tethering you to one spot.

Yealink now offers a comprehensive DECT solution by offering desktop, cordless and conference phones that connect to a single base station. Yealink’s DECT range is ideal for small offices where fixed infrastructure is limited while call quality is critical.

The Yealink CP930W distinguishes itself by providing users with a premium audio experience without the need for network infrastructure in every boardroom. It frees users from the limitations of power outlets and Internet ports, and meets the mobility requirement of the organisation. With the development of Yealink’s Noise Proof Technology, the CP930W intelligently eliminates background noise and automatically mutes the microphone when human voice is not detected to save bandwidth and ensure better call quality.

Additionally, the Yealink CP930W features a 3.1” 248x120 LCD display as well as built-in Bluetooth. Conference calls can be made/joined easily through the CP930W’s intuitive interface, and calls can be muted at the tap of a button.

By pairing with the Yealink W60B DECT base station, which supports coverage of up to 50 metres indoors or 300 metres outdoors, the CP930W can be used anywhere within the signal reception range, conveniently and flexibly. In addition, a built-in rechargeable battery greatly improves the availability and mobility of the CP930W with up to 24 hours of talk time or 360 hours of standby time. This unique feature allows users to move the CP930W to a different room or office effortlessly and conveniently, without the need to find or plug into an available power outlet.

The key to effective collaboration is to clearly hear and understand other participants. The vision of Yealink’s audio conferencing solutions is to offer easy conferencing and clear communication with a balance between quality, user experience, and affordability.

About Yealink

Founded in 2001, Yealink (Stock Code: 300628) is a global leading provider of enterprise communication and collaboration solutions, offering video conferencing service to worldwide enterprises. Focusing on research and development, Yealink also insists on innovation and creation. With the outstanding technical patents of cloud computing, audio, video and image processing technology, Yealink has built up a panoramic collaboration solution of audio and video conferencing by merging its cloud services with a series of endpoints products. As one of the best providers in more than 140 countries and regions including the US, the UK and Australia, Yealink ranks No.1 in the global market share of SIP phone shipments. For more information, please visit: www.yealink.com

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About Nology

Founded in 2001, Nology is a specialist value-added distributor of converged IP solutions to service providers, network operators, systems integrators and resellers across Southern Africa.

Nology represents, distributes and supports some of the top international Broadband, Wireless, Networking and VoIP brands and is continually expanding our product offering. We have a strong reputation and proven track record in our industry and are trusted by leading ISPs and network operators across Southern Africa. For more information, please visit www.nology.co.za

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Nology, leading distributor of ICT equipment within Southern Africa, in collaboration with Securax LTD, well known developer of Zoiper Softphone is pleased to announce Nology as the official distributor of Zoiper.

In partnering with Securax, Nology has demonstrated its commitment to continue its legacy of innovation.

Alex Bantjes, Product Manager, Nology:
Nology constantly strives to provide a comprehensive product portfolio that caters to the needs of our ITSP, Telco and System Integrator partners. As part of Nology’s strategy we endeavour to align ourselves with the best solutions and products that cater to the unique requirements of our industry and clients. Zoiper offers Nology an excellent opportunity to provide a truly vendor agnostic, UC enabled softphone, that is capable of providing easy and secure communication and eliminates the need for cumbersome desktop VoIP devices. Additionally, Zoiper will enable Nology to offer a customised and branded softphone experience to its partners.

Joachim Vanheuverzwijn, CTO, Zoiper:
Zoiper continues its mission to be a forward-thinking company with its products serving as answers to the constantly ambitious telecommunication industry, including SMEs and large-scale telecoms. Our innovative VoIP softphones are designed to be customizable, adaptable and scalable for even the most demanding customers. We have been working towards expanding our partnership network in the telephony market and we are excited that Nology joins our constantly expanding family of partners around the globe.

Zoiper (www.zoiper.com)

Zoiper emerged from VoIP’s popularity in 2003, becoming practically one of the first VoIP communication apps, resulting in millions of organic users on the desktop and mobile platforms. Nowadays, Zoiper features voice, video, messaging, contact sync and privacy settings. The softphone is loaded with extra functionality for both personal and professional use, ultimately filling the gap between traditional telephones and social communication apps.

For more information, send an email to sales@nology.co.za or alternatively click here for more product information.