The SIP sets all use open source software so nobody owns anything. That's the beauty of of it all. Avaya in particular has banked their future on SIP and actually flaunts the fact that their sets are SIP based so they can't have it both ways! They don't own the protocol so they have no legal say in how it's used! Same goes for Nortel IP sets. Their claim to fame is the proprietary Unistim protocol and the patent ran out on it years ago so anyone who wants to use can go ahead. Avaya even dumped Unistim as the default software in them in favour of SIP so they can now shut the f&%$ up too.

As for digital sets, I don't see how they can stop it either or why they would wnnt to. It's their set sitting on a customers desk displaying their name but I suspect there is no patent on any of the stuff anyway. Why would there be? In the past, all systems talked different languages anyway.

It's a new world out there in telecommunications and it's all based on open source protocols that nobody owns. The only requirement is that if you want to claim it's protocol compliant, you must make it work the way the protocol was designed.

Good for customers, not so good for manufacturers.

From what I know, Avaya is more interested in pushing their Flare, 96xx IP sets and IP Office product, than the legacy Nortel phones and software. With that said, I've heard from Avaya that the 11xx and 12xx sets have an indefinite life as well, but again the software is open sourced.

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Joseph Sus-Nortel Installer/Programmer-"JoetheUCxguy" on Youtube
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-sus/12/1a7/856

Yes but business is business. If for some reason eMetrotel becomes a threat to them as far as competition is concerned they might go after them to drop them in their tracks. I am sure Avaya has a lot more legal resources than does eMetrotel does at this point.

I think you're safe. Even if what you describe does happen, it won't be an instantaneous thing where your 11XX phones quit working overnight and I'm pretty sure Avaya won't send the Gestapo door to door checking telecom rooms for their equipment.

They still make/made money on the sale of the handsets. They should be happy people are willing to use their phones on a non Avaya/nortel system. On a sip platform, it doesn't much matter who makes the phone on the desk.

E-Metrotel even works directly with Avaya on developing Call Center applications for the CS1K and other Avaya Switches. Just because people don't buy an Avaya switch, they are still buying the Nortel/Avaya phones, which makes profit for Avaya.

****New Forum - E-Metrotel UCx****
Joseph Sus-Nortel Installer/Programmer-"JoetheUCxguy" on Youtube
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-sus/12/1a7/856

Well for me it is still a wait and see with eMetrotel. They are just to new and there are so many other solid companies with good systems like Avaya that have been around for a long time and have a proven name in the industry. This whole new SIP and IP thing reminds me of the days after divestiture when everyone and their mother went into the phone system business and now were are they.

Well these are all Nortel Avaya guys who worked on the development of Norstar, BCM, meridian one, cs1000, etc, they aren't some clowns, they have years of experience at Nortel and Bell Northern Research. By the time you make a decision, Avaya may only decide to use Flare, or who knows what else. I've been operating a system of my own for over a year and I've had no problems.

****New Forum - E-Metrotel UCx****
Joseph Sus-Nortel Installer/Programmer-"JoetheUCxguy" on Youtube
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-sus/12/1a7/856

And Camden the system also supports analog trunking, H.323, PRI and BRI trunking, not only just SIP trunking. The system not only provides use for SIP phones but also digital Nortel phones....

****New Forum - E-Metrotel UCx****
Joseph Sus-Nortel Installer/Programmer-"JoetheUCxguy" on Youtube
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-sus/12/1a7/856

I agree with biv343.

Nortel had relatively small margins on telephone switches (such as BCM) - on the other hand, their margins on handsets were huge. I don't see how that could change in any significant way after the acquisition of Nortel Enterprise Solutions by Avaya.

Based on that, it appears logical that Avaya manufacture discontinued the switches, but not the phones. Avaya by itself can sell phones to the installed base of Nortel switches. By supporting their phones, E-MetroTel is actually doing Avaya a favor - they are helping Avaya's phone sales.