Polycom, Inc., the world's leading provider of unified collaborative communications solutions, expanded its award-winning line of SIP-based VoIP desktop phones with the SoundPoint IP 430, an affordable, two-line phone with a full-duplex speakerphone and graphical LCD. Polycom also introduced a SIP 2.0 software release, adding new features and functionality to the entire line of SIP-based Polycom phones, including integration with Microsoft Live Communications Server (LCS) 2005, new telephony features, advanced security, and system management capabilities that reduce deployment costs of IP phones.

"Polycom offers a range of SoundPoint IP and SoundStation IP phones to meet the unique business communications requirements of customers," said Sunil Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager of voice communications at Polycom. "The SoundPoint IP 430 addresses specific customer demand for a business phone that is priced for broad deployment and offers a high-quality full-duplex speakerphone. We are also giving customers new features and functionality through our SIP 2.0 software release, which adds value to the entire IP phone portfolio."

"New Global Telecom tests numerous IP devices in our in-house Product Lab to ensure end-to-end quality for our customers," said John Guillaume, vice president of product for New Global Telecom, a leading provider of wholesale hosted VoIP services. "Polycom's IP product line not only meets our certification requirements, but it has also enjoyed widespread use by our customers. In particular, the SoundPoint IP desktop phones are ideal for the needs of our SMB audience. We anticipate the SoundPoint IP 430's competitive price-point paired with the full duplex speakerphone functionality will be well received by customers."

SoundPoint IP 430 -- Ideal IP Desktop Phone for Broad Deployments

The SoundPoint IP 430 is an affordable, two-line SIP desktop phone that includes a full-duplex speakerphone with Polycom Acoustic Clarity Technology, which delivers excellent voice quality and enables natural, two-way conversations. The SoundPoint IP 430 provides an easy transition from legacy PSTN systems to the world of IP telephony with simple menu navigation, an easy-to-read graphical LCD, and convenient, one-button access to essential telephony features. The enterprise-grade IP phone delivers a rich feature set encompassing traditional telephony features such as call hold, park, pick-up, and transfer, as well as more advanced capabilities such as shared call/bridged line appearance and integration with Microsoft LCS 2005 for telephony and presence. Built-in IEEE 802.3af Power over Ethernet circuitry and a dual-port 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch for PC and LAN connection offers a choice of powering and cabling options to help reduce costs and cord clutter.

SIP 2.0 Software Expands Capabilities of Polycom IP Phones

Polycom SIP 2.0 software delivers expanded capabilities for the complete line of SoundPoint IP desktop phones and SoundStation IP conference phones. Enhancements include:

-- Microsoft LCS 2005 Integration -- Integration with Microsoft Live Communication Server (LCS) 2005 enables presence-based features to be added to VoIP deployments. For example, users are able to see presence status of their Microsoft Office Communicator buddies on the phone's LCD display, and are able to place calls between Polycom IP phones and Office Communicator and Windows Messenger 5.1 clients. (Additional information about Polycom's latest voice and video integration with Microsoft is available in a separate press releases issued today entitled: "Polycom First to Extend Federation with Voice, Video to Microsoft Office Communicator.")

-- Enhanced Security -- Through SIP 2.0, the phones now support transport layer security (TLS) and encryption of configuration files to prevent malicious abuse of hosted VoIP services.

-- Busy Lamp Field (BLF) Functionality -- Enables users to see whether speed dial contacts are on the phone or available through intelligent indicator lights. This feature is supported in BroadSoft BroadWorks R13 environments.

-- Enhanced System Management Features -- SIP 2.0 brings improved robustness and zero-touch provisioning that result in lower deployment costs of IP phones. New capabilities include support of redundant boot servers and the ability to set device parameters through configuration files.

Pricing and Availability

The SoundPoint IP 430 is available for order today worldwide (except Korea and China) for a MSRP of US$239 through Polycom certified VoIP resellers. The SoundPoint IP 430 is scheduled to begin shipping in late June. Polycom SIP 2.0 software release will be available in late June at no cost through Polycom certified VoIP resellers.