Product Review

Panasonic has taken advantage of the incredible flexibility that IP telephony provides by introducing its new Mobile Softphone. It integrates with Panasonic IP telephony systems to provide versatile and adaptable unified communication services, anytime, anywhere.

Linking business with versatile mobility

Panasonic’s Mobile Softphone is an app that runs on any modern Android or iOS smartphone and allows users to carry their internal corporate extension number with them wherever they go. As long as the smartphone has data connectivity, that internal extension number exists on the phone, no matter where in the world it is located.

Employees can use the app just like they would use their smartphone to speak on the telephone. They can accept incoming calls to their internal corporate desk phone number, directly from their smartphone. They can also place calls from the app to any number and will be charged for the call as if they were physically in the office. All communication takes place over the smartphone data connection and not the telephony connection to the mobile operator, so no regular or roaming charges from the mobile operator are incurred.

Part of Panasonic’s VoIP infrastructure

The softphone app functions as any other endpoint of Panasonic’s VoIP solution; no additional software or server is necessary. The app includes video calling capabilities as well as push notifications for incoming and missed calls, without the need for the app to be running all the time. This saves phone battery life, as well as CPU and memory resources.

Calls placed over insecure networks such as public Wi-Fi infrastructure or connections over the public internet are protected by using the industry standard of Session Initiation Protocol Transport Layer Security (SIP-TLS).

System requirements and key features

Panasonic’s Mobile Softphone for both Android and iOS is compatible with the KX-NSX2000, KX-NS1000, and KX-NS700 IP PBXs, and can be integrated directly into existing implementations with the appropriate PBX version and activation key. The app supports all of the most common – and some not so common – features, codecs and functionalities necessary for virtually all user categories.

Key features

• Supports the SIP protocol
• Call functions
  • Make call
  • Reject call
  • Cancel call
  • Video call
  • Call hold
  • Call transfer
  • Blind call transfer
• Supported audio codecs:
  • 722
  • 729a
  • 711a/μ
• Supported video codecs:
  • 264 Base Line Profile Encode up to VGA
  • Decode up to 720p
• Security – industry standard SIP-TLS
• Push notifications
• Call log/missed call indicator
• Supports 21 display languages

The app can be downloaded directly from Google Play or the AppStore and can run on any device running Android 4.0 or later, or iOS 10 or later. These installations can then be activated by purchasing an activation key, which is offered as a single key or in bundles of 5, 10, 25, or 50 users.

Conclusion

Panasonic’s new Mobile Softphone is a secure, easy-to-operate smartphone app offering employees the freedom of mobility for voice and video calls, all from the convenience of their smartphones. In this way, it minimizes costs while providing mobility, security, efficiency, and flexibility to its users and their businesses.

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