Press Release

Aastra builds upon its leadership in the European SMB market

Farnborough, 12th October 2009 –Aastra, the leading provider of telephony solutions to small and medium businesses (SMBs) in EMEA , has today launched version 7.8 of its award-winning IntelliGate telephone systems range for small and medium businesses with improved features for mobile users, remote workers and in-house mobility to enable staff to be more reactive and productive ‘on-the-move’.

With Aastra Mobile Client, the IntelliGate 7.8 now supports Blackberry smartphones in addition to supporting Symbian smartphones from Nokia and Samsung which was previously available. This FMC solution enables SMBs to take advantage of ‘One Number’ calling so members of staff can be reached effortlessly on a single number, whatever their location. The Aastra Mobile Client also ensures that the most popular features of a desk phones, such as conferencing, call transfer and even call back, can be accessed from a mobile.

UK solicitor firm, FBC Manby Bowdler LLP is using Aastra’s IntelliGate system to enable its staff to improve their mobility. Following a recent merger, the company needed to implement a single telephone solution which would bring together a total of 300 staff over nine sites, including a significant percentage of home workers. Mobile integration and the ability to have ‘One Number’ calling was a key driver in the decision making process.

John Lynch, Operations Director, FBC Manby Bowdler LLP, comments: “It was important for us in planning for the future to ensure that our solicitors are highly available, particularly in an environment where clients expect quick and easy access to our expert advice. With Aastra’s help and the Aastra IntelliGate system, we will be able to achieve just that.”

With this new release, Aastra has also added voice recording and Microsoft Outlook integration to its 2380i softphone which can quickly and easily be installed onto computers. With a softphone, remote workers can be reached on their usual number and make calls with one click of a mouse from any networked laptop via a VPN.

Furthermore, for better mobility in the workplace, DECT still remains a competitive solution perfectly suited to environments such as education, manufacturing or retail. The new version of IntelliGate now fully integrates with Aastra’s latest DECT 600d phones giving access to key telephony features essential for business users. The new family of DECT handsets also boasts features to meet the imperatives of vertical markets such as ambient noise filter, drop resilient, a dust or water jet proof case, emergency key and “man down” alarm feature depending on the various phone models.

Thomas Stephan, European Product Line Manager for IntelliGate at Aastra, comments: “Mobility is important for small and medium businesses because they need their staff to be highly productive and reactive at all times. Aastra gives the tools to respond to such requirements in the best way. This latest release builds on the strengths of the IntelliGate systems which are easy to deploy and use, highly reliable, versatile and excellent value for money.”

Other improvements available with IntelliGate 7.8 include:
- enhanced voicemail
- advanced integration of Aastra SIP desk phones, including the latest models released (Aastra 6730i and Aastra 6731i)
- 60 day trial licences
- easy system set up and maintenance with web-based configuration assistant (IntelliGate 150 and 300).

The Aastra IntelliGate telephone systems range can support anywhere between just a few users up to 400 extensions (600 in an intelligent network) on any mix of IP and traditional lines, in one or up to 40 locations – including remote workers. A choice of user-friendly applications (for contact centres, unified communications, computer telephony integrations…) ensures that IntelliGate systems respond to customers’ diverse requirements.

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About Aastra UK

Aastra UK is the UK business unit of Aastra Technologies Limited, (TSX:“AAH”), a leading company at the forefront of the enterprise communication market. Headquartered in Concord, Ontario, Canada, Aastra develops and delivers innovative communications products and applications for businesses. Aastra’s operations are truly global with more than 50 million installed lines around the world and a direct and indirect presence in more than 100 countries. Aastra is entirely dedicated to enterprise communications and offers one of the most complete portfolios of unified communications solutions individually tailored to satisfy its customers’ requirements. These range from feature-rich call managers for small and medium businesses and highly scalable ones for large enterprises, integrated mobility, call centres solutions to a wide selection of terminals. With a strong focus on open standards, Aastra enables enterprises to communicate and collaborate more efficiently. For additional information on Aastra, visit our website at http://www.aastra.com  

Media contacts:

Matt Watson, Susannah Wyeth & Gerry Grewal
Speed Communications
0207 8423200
E-mail: aastrapr@speedcommunications.com  

Contact Information

Aastra Press Contact:

Lisa Richardson, Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: 01252 532100
Fax: 01252 532101

Aastra Press Agency: Speed Communications

Susannah Wyeth/Matthew Watson
Tel: 0207 8423200
Email: aastra@speedcommunications.com

Aastra Industry Analyst Contact:

Stephane Bobinet, Director of European Market Communications
Tel: 01252 532100
Fax: 01252 532101