OfficeSuite UC v10.8 Release Notes
Windstream OfficeSuite UC® release 10.8 includes support for Mitel MobileLink for new Wi-Fi desk phones and improvements to Pickup groups to increase total membership.
The OfficeSuite UC team is pleased to announce new features and functions for its customers with the release of OfficeSuite version 10.8 software rolling out to production in Fall 2023.
The primary customer-facing enhancements included in v10.8 are support for Mitel MobileLink on the newest series of Mitel Wi-Fi phones launched Summer 2023 and improvements to OfficeSuite Pickup group functionality that allows for many more members in Pickup groups than previously possible.
Mitel MobileLink support for Mitel Wi-Fi phones: (this portion of the effort is complete for all Mitel Wi-Fi phones on all customer servers as of November 14, 2023)
The newest Mitel Wi-Fi enabled phones, first supported in OS v10.5 this Summer, are Mitel 6920w, 6930w, and 6940w. (collectively called “W” phones). The 6930w and 6940w are available now for new OfficeSuite customer proposals and the 6920w is due for new customer proposals on 10/18/23. All three models will be available for existing customers to add-on via the WE Connect portal as of 10/18/23. You can read more about the introduction of Mitel Wi-Fi phones in the OfficeSuite v10.5 release announcement on Community.
New in OS v10.8 is support for Mitel’s MobileLink on the W phones; including also the 6920w. The 6920 (non-W) does not have Bluetooth integration and doesn’t support MobileLink. The 6920w now does with OfficeSuite v10.8.
Mitel MobileLink enables a user to pair their Mitel desk phone to their mobile phone via Bluetooth and allows for importing of mobile contacts to the desk phone for easy access to all personal and coworker 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 away from the office. Customers with existing Mitel 6930, 6940 and 6970 non-Wi-Fi model phones have always had Mitel MobileLink integration standard.
To program a Mobile Line on your Mitel phone, select “Mobile Line” in the feature list drop down when programming a key via the OfficeSuite portal. Once available on your phone, press the Mobile Line key to see instructions on how to pair your mobile phone to your desk phone and import contacts. Once paired, the Mobile Line key on your Mitel phone is used to push an active call from your desk phone to your mobile phone when you need to continue the call away from your desk.
Also supported in v10.8 is the Mitel S720 Bluetooth speaker phone. It’s a portable USB and BT speaker that offers better sound quality for speakerphone calls than the on-board mic and speaker in the desk phone. OfficeSuite doesn’t offer the Mitel S720 accessory but if a customer acquired it on their own, it’s now supported on the Mitel W phones once the customer’s server has been upgraded to v10.8.
Hidden Network Support: Mitel Wi-Fi phones support hidden networks in version 2.1.0 of their firmware. OfficeSuite version 10.8 includes Mitel v2.1.0.37 firmware. So once the server has been upgraded to v10.8 and the phone downloads the most current firmware, then it will support hidden wireless networks. When the user manages Wi-Fi settings on their phone and selects "Add Network" there is an option for "Hidden Network".
Coming in 2024 is support for Mitel’s PCLink integration for the Mitel 6900 series phones (including embedded-base non-W and new Wi-Fi models alike). PCLink enables the user to pair their Mitel 6900 series 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 Live, OfficeSuite HD Meeting, and OfficeSuite Call2Teams. Stay tuned for more information in 2024 from your Windstream account manager and in this forum.
No Notification Pickup Groups: (this effort is still dependent upon OfficeSuite portal development forthcoming)
A new feature of Pickup groups in OfficeSuite v10.8 allows the OS Admin to determine which members of Pickup groups will get notified on their phone when another member’s phone is ringing, and which members will not. This differentiation allows for many more group members in Pickup groups than possible in the previous implementation of Pickup groups, which is limited to 50 total members in all Pickup groups across the entire tenant.
With the new Pickup Group feature, Customers can have up to 100 members per group and any number of groups, limited only by the number of group extensions in their tenant, e.g. 600 through 699 or 6000 through 6999. From among all the members in all Pickup groups, the OS Admin can designate a maximum of 50 members to receive notifications on their phone. If an extension appears in multiple Pickup groups with notifications enabled, each such appearance counts toward the 50-member maximum. Also, the same extension may not appear in more than ten Pickup groups.
Pickup group members with notifications enabled get a visual indication on their phone that another member's phone is ringing. The Pickup group key flashes and the phone screen displays the Caller ID of the calling party and the called party's name. Members of Pickup groups who have not been granted notifications by the OS Admin will not see anything on their phone and thus must be within earshot of a ringing member’s phone to know to answer it. Members both with and without notifications can exist side by side in the same Pickup group. All members of Pickup groups must program a Pickup group key on their OS desk phone to pick up the call regardless of whether they are configured with or without notifications.
The majority of Pickup group use cases are for teams where all members are in close proximity to one another and thus the option for no notifications in order to expand membership will be employed most often going forward. And for the occasional group member that’s not in the vicinity of the others on the team, they can be set up with notifications.
When existing customers’ services are upgraded from v10.5 to v10.8, all existing Pickup groups and membership will remain unchanged. All existing members in existing Pickup groups at the time of upgrade will continue to receive notifications on their phones when other group members’ phones ring. Any new members added to the Pickup group after upgrade to v10.8 will be defaulted to no notifications. Likewise, new Pickup groups created after v10.8 upgrade will default all members to no notifications.
The new OfficeSuite portal must be modified to support the new functionality to enable OS Admins to determine which Pickup group members will be notified when another member’s phone rings and which members will not. That development is not yet scheduled but is estimated to be available for Customers by the end of 2023. The WE Connect portal will not be modified. All new development occurs only in the new OfficeSuite portal. Stay tuned to this forum for an announcement when the new OfficeSuite portal is ready for management of Pickup group notifications.
NOTE: Your services must be upgraded to OfficeSuite UC® v10.8 software to support MobileLink and hidden networks on the new Mitel Wi-Fi phones. Refer to the upgrade schedule below for upgrade date by server. Also, in addition to the upgrade to v10.8, to enjoy the new Pickup group capabilities, the new OfficeSuite portal must be modified to enable OS Admins to grant or deny notifications to Pickup group members. That portal development will occur in the fourth quarter of 2023 and only for the new OfficeSuite portal launched this year.
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 v10.5 release. There were no announcements for v10.6 or v10.7 as OfficeSuite is leapfrogging directly to the latest release, v10.8, with this upgrade.
OfficeSuite UC® v10.8 production upgrade schedule (rollout complete 11/14/23)
All server upgrade maintenance windows begin at 11PM Eastern time the night before the date listed and end at 3AM Eastern time the following morning on the scheduled date. Your OfficeSuite UC services will experience a brief 10 to 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 October 24, 2023
2 Complete October 24, 2023
3 Complete October 25, 2023
4 Complete October 5, 2023
5 Complete October 26, 2023
6 Complete November 1, 2023
7 Complete October 19, 2023
8 Complete November 9, 2023
9 Complete October 4, 2023
10 Complete October 3, 2023
11 Complete October 12, 2023
12 Complete October 26, 2023
13 Complete November 14, 2023
14 Complete November 7, 2023
15 Complete November 8, 2023
16 Complete October 17, 2023
17 Complete November 9, 2023
18 Complete October 31, 2023
19 Complete November 7, 2023
20 Complete November 2, 2023
21 Complete October 17, 2023
22 Complete November 2, 2023
23 Complete October 12, 2023
24 Complete October 25, 2023
25 Complete October 19, 2023
26 Complete October 31, 2023
27 Complete November 1, 2023
28 Complete October 2, 2023
29 Complete November 8, 2023
30 Complete October 5, 2023
Follow these instructions to check your OfficeSuite UC server number and the version of software it’s running.
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