AST brings the office to the mobile employee

Philips Business Communications, represented in SA by AST, has launched new functionality that fully integrates remote phones like GSM and home phones of mobile employees with the company`s communication network.

Named SOPHO Mobility Access, this special software, when included in a company`s telephone switch (PBX), makes the phone of remote/mobile employees a true extension of the PBX. All calls, incoming as well as outgoing, are routed through the company`s switch, enabling employees to be reachable anywhere under one single telephone number, be it their office phone, their mobile phone or their home phone, decreasing corporate communication costs significantly.

"Moreover, it supports telephone calls at any remote location via the PBX with the same important facilities available when making calls in the office," explains Keith Bothma, National Sales Manager for AST Networks. "Such facilities may include operator assistance, chief-secretary functionality, group functionality, single voicemail box, and voice dial functions."

SOPHO Mobility Access is part of SOPHO Mobile Integration, the overall concept for on-site, multi-site and remote mobility and reach-ability.

Target groups are not only home workers, remote office workers or `road warriors` like sales representatives and field engineers, but also campus roamers working on several office premises.

Other products within the SOPHO Mobile Integration concept are for example IP-DECT wireless communication, the personal communications portal MyOffice@Net and Messenger@Net for instant messaging. An enhanced integration of SOPHO Mobility Access with GSM operators leads to a maximum of functionality. At this moment first implementations are taking place with several GSM operators.