OfficeSuite v10.5 Release Notes - Supports Mitel Wi-Fi desk phones

Rob_Marschall

Windstream OfficeSuite UC® release 10.5 includes support for Mitel Wi-Fi desk phones

The OfficeSuite UC team is pleased to announce new features and functions for its customers with the release of OfficeSuite version 10.5 software.

The primary customer-facing enhancement included in v10.5 is support for Mitel’s line of 6900 series Wi-Fi phones. Designated with a “w” in the model name, the supported phones are Mitel 6920w, 6930w, and 6940w. The Mitel 6970 conference phone remains unchanged and is not a Wi-Fi enabled “w’ phone.

Availability of Mitel 6900 series Wi-Fi phones: The Mitel 6900 series phones are the most popular desk phones in the OfficeSuite portfolio with customers. In 2022, Mitel discontinued the Mitel 6920, 6930, and 6940 models, collectively “non-W models”, in favor of new Wi-Fi models designated with a "w" in the model’s name, i.e. 6920w, 6930w, 6940w. The W phones are supported in OfficeSuite v10.5 software due in production Summer 2023. OfficeSuite UC will exhaust its remaining inventory of non-W phones before deploying the W phones. The first such model is the 6940w available in late June 2023 for new OfficeSuite customers and available for existing customers to add-on via the WE Connect portal in July 2023.

All models of W phone include embedded 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networking and built-in Bluetooth 5.2. They also still include a two-port Gigabit Ethernet switch to enable normal Ethernet cable connection and daisy-chaining to a PC/laptop. Future releases of OfficeSuite UC software will also include Mitel’s MobileLink (due early 2024) and PCLink (due later in 2024) integrations standard. MobileLink enables a user to pair their Mitel desk phone to their mobile phone via Bluetooth and allows for importing of your mobile phone book to your desk phone for easy access to all your contacts. Plus, calls to your mobile phone will ring your desk phone simultaneously and mobile calls answered on the desk phone can be pushed back to the mobile phone with one button touch when you need to continue the call outside your office. PCLink enables the user to pair their desk phone to their PC/laptop via Bluetooth so the desk phone acts as the microphone and speaker for PC-based calls such as OfficeSuite HD Meeting and OfficeSuite Call2Teams. Stay tuned for more information late in 2023 from your Windstream account manager and in this forum.

When connecting a Mitel W phone to your business Wi-Fi network it is required that the phone first be booted via a wired Ethernet connection to download the most current OfficeSuite firmware that supports Wi-Fi connectivity. Once logged into OfficeSuite via Ethernet it can be connected to Wi-Fi by entering your network SSID and password into the phone’s UI and then moved to a Wi-Fi only location. Because you will no longer have the benefit of Power over Ethernet in Wi-Fi mode, you must also purchase the optional AC power adapter for each Wi-Fi connected phone on premises. Note the Ethernet ports are disabled when the phone is in Wi-Fi mode.

Mitel 6920: This is the most popular phone model in the OfficeSuite UC portfolio and there is plenty of Mitel 6920 (non-W) units in stock. We predict this inventory will last into 4q2023 before the 6920w is introduced to the portfolio. Also, the remaining 6930L inventory will be used to satisfy 6920 demand before the 6920w is introduced. Once available to OfficeSuite customers, the new 6920w model will include Bluetooth support for the first time to enable users to pair BT devices, such as headsets, to their desk phone. In 2024 Mitel’s MobileLink integration and PCLink integration will be standard. The 6920w also supports the Mitel M695 programmable key module (PKM). The Mitel 6920w will not support the Bluetooth handset which is optional on the 6930/6930w and standard on the 6940/6940w. The 6920w will be available for new and existing customers by the end of October 2023.

Mitel 6930: The stock levels of 6930 will last until third quarter 2023 and OfficeSuite will introduce the 6930w Wi-Fi model in late September 2023. As with the 6930 (non-W), the 6930w supports these optional accessories: M695 PKM, 6900 DECT headset, and Bluetooth handset.

Mitel 6940: The Mitel 6940 will be the first non-W Mitel model to reach inventory exhaust. As such the new 6940w Wi-Fi model is available to new OfficeSuite customers as of end of June 2023. Remaining inventory of 6940 non-W phones will be preserved for customers still in the provisioning cycle and on OfficeSuite servers that are not yet upgraded to v10.5 to support the W phones. The new 6940w is available for existing customers to order via WE Connect by the end of July 2023, but only for customers on those servers upgraded to OfficeSuite v10.5. All customers on all servers will be able to order the 6940w by end of October 2023. The 6940w comes standard with the Bluetooth handset and supports the optional M695 PKM and DECT headset.

Mitel Quick Start Guides updated for W model phones

NOTE:  Your services must be upgraded to OfficeSuite UC® v10.5 software to support the new Mitel Wi-Fi phones. Refer to the upgrade schedule below for upgrade date by server.

Follow these instructions to check your OfficeSuite UC server number and the version of software it’s running.

Read the announcement of features and functions in the previous OfficeSuite v10.3 release. There was no v10.4 release announcement as it was an infrastructure release only.

 

OfficeSuite UC® v10.5 production upgrade schedule

This software upgrade was completed on 9/12/23, the following is informational only.

All server upgrade maintenance windows begin at 11PM Eastern time and end at 3AM Eastern time the following morning. Your OfficeSuite UC services will experience a brief 10-15 minute service disruption overnight, but not before midnight Eastern time. Customers do not need to make any changes to their system prior to the upgrade. All work is performed in Windstream data centers and access to your premises is not required. After the maintenance window your phones will reboot and operate normally.

Schedule by OfficeSuite server:

Server number   Date of Upgrade

1                                          Complete August 22, 2023

2                                          Complete July 27, 2023

3                                          Complete July 25, 2023

4                                          Complete August 31, 2023

5                                          Complete August 22, 2023

6                                          Complete August 24, 2023

7                                          Complete August 29, 2023

8                                          Complete September 6, 2023

9                                          Complete June 6, 2023

10                                        Complete May 31, 2023

11                                        Complete September 7, 2023

12                                        Complete August 30, 2023

13                                        Complete September 12, 2023

14                                        Complete July 27, 2023

15                                        Complete September 6, 2023

16                                        Complete August 17, 2023

17                                        Complete July 25, 2023

18                                        Complete August 23, 2023

19                                        Complete September 7, 2023

20                                        Complete August 17, 2023

21                                        Complete June 14, 2023

22                                        Complete August 31, 2023

23                                        Complete September 12, 2023

24                                        Complete August 29, 2023

25                                        Complete August 24, 2023

26                                        Complete August 23, 2023

27                                        Complete August 30, 2023

28                                        Complete June 2, 2023

29                                        Complete June 20, 2023

30                                        Complete June 22, 2023                                        

Follow these instructions to check your OfficeSuite UC server number and the version of software it’s running.