IP-PBX Takes Digital Networking One Step Further

In 1998, 3Com introduced the NBX® solution, the first IP-PBX. The IP-PBX changed the fundamental structure of the PBX market to deliver a new set of benefits to enterprises. Since their introduction, 3Com has shipped more than 18,000 IP PBX phone systems and 650,000 IP PBX ports.

U.S. PBX Line Shipments

For the first time, new IP-PBX shipments exceed traditional PBX shipments. The trend represented by this shipment data can be traced to IP-PBX architecture that allows businesses to reduce infrastructure cost while improving productivity.

With an IP-PBX, the Local Area Network is the platform for connecting smart IP phones logically over a shared packet network to the call manager. This unifies the data applications and the voice network, but places demands on the packet prioritization aspects of the LAN infrastructure to ensure user satisfaction with the quality of audio. Power to the IP phone is provided via the standard power brick-style transformer or via Power over Ethernet using the IEEE 802.3af standard.

Easy configuration of IP-PBX services is aided by browser-enabled administration and moving an employee with an IP-PBX is as simple as unplugging a telephone and plugging it in at a new location—as opposed to costly service calls from legacy PBX vendors. Additionally, IP-PBX owners do not have two separate networks to manage or the costs of additional infrastructure.

Selecting the right IP-PBX is an extremely important business decision. Many products are marketed as IP-PBXs but actually offer traditional PBX architecture and IP phones. The capabilities of these systems may rely on traditional rather than IP switching, resulting in the need to purchase conventional handsets, hardware that requires two backplanes with two points of failure, and processing requirements that exceed those needed by an IP-only system. These solutions may fail to deliver economies resulting from IP benefits such as the reduced cost of moves, adds, and changes and the savings of wiring a single converged network.

IP-PBX technology is integral to the SIP-PBX, an important and emerging product category for IP telephony in enterprises. This category of product uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to establish connections between users, and combines the local features of the PBX with the networking advantages of the IP-PBX and the scalability and trunking services of the softswitch. The SIP-PBX delivers a new architecture for enterprise communications applications, enabling enterprise-wide features, find me/follow me support, and extensive presence management. The 3Com® VCX™ solution is the first entrant in this new category.

Find out more about 3Com IP-PBX offerings or call us at 1-800-638-3266.