PRODUCT NEWS Gigaset debuts Pro series
Based in Germany and best known as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cordless phones and a leader in Europe for DECT phones, Gigaset Communications is now aiming to repeat its trick and become a top rank contender in the UK market for IP PBX systems.
its launch into the IP PBX market should come as no surprise. “Two thirds of the product line was coming anyway,” said Peter Walshe, Head of Distribution and Service Provider Sales (UK & Ireland). “Gigaset has been developing its SIP enabled cordless voice product range for the third generation proposition at the same time as looking to extend the IP desktop. We saw a gap in the system part for an extensive integrated feature set. When you wrap it all together you get the complete solution.”
O
bservers of Gigaset’s product development could rightly argue that
Gigaset’s near-term focus on the 1-30 seat market is to be followed by an upward push towards the 100 extension segment once firm foundations have been established at the lower echelon. “It’s about building on our relationships and knowledge of the market,” Walshe said.
To say that Gigaset’s growth strategy is flavoured with high optimism would be to understate Walshe’s confidence in achieving revenue targets this year. Although the company has not hit the ground running – no new entrant could be so lucky – it has certainly established a ready made springboard by leveraging an existing relationship with distributor ProVu, a VoIP specialist.
Darren Garland
We took a number of orders on the day and had people book onto the training course
Meanwhile, talks are in progress behind the scenes with its other UK distributors Nimans and Electromaster in Ireland. These distributors have played no small part in helping Gigaset grow its cordless voice business to six per cent of the market since 2006/7. This growth is based on building and maintaining direct relationships, and the same proven method will apply to Gigaset’s march into the systems market.
ProVu’s Managing Director, Darren Garland, expects ‘great things’ from the Gigaset Pro series, predicting an enthusiastic response from data and SIP resellers hungry for a piece of the telecoms pie. He says that Gigaset has already hit the reseller sweet spot with its dealer friendly IP telephone systems.
The distributor made an impressive start to its channel campaign having gained early interest from 25 of its resellers who attended the official product launch in London on February 10th. “The dealer day was a great success,” said Garland. “Everyone I spoke to seemed to be getting excited about different aspects and features of the range. We took a number of orders and had people book onto the training course too.”
Data VAR opportunity ProVu has on its books a regular buying base of around 550 resellers. Many of these are IT firms operating in the SME space. They have become intimate with their customers, are regularly found on site forming strong bonds with managing directors and technical chiefs. They own the hearts, minds and ears of buyers. On the other hand voice dealers
2011
Marriot St. Pierre, Chepstow,Gwent. 16th June 2011
14 COMMS DEALER MARCH 2011
are scarcely visible. “Our resellers are SIP through and through,” he said. “They can easily take this system to market. For these guys it’s a great opportunity to push deeper into the traditional telco space with a strong solution and a recognised brand behind them.”
Gigaset has a 14 year stint comfortably under its belt in the professional enterprise cordless telephone market and understands how consumers use telephony. Its move into the IP PBX market is a logical evolution of this expertise, according to Jan Costa Thiele, Vice President of Sales Development. “For two years we have been talking to SMBs and the channel to get insights about their requirements,” he said. “We identified a need for
totally integrated UC and interoperable solutions at an attractive price point.”
Stylish design The Gigaset Pro series builds on the vendor’s pedigree of manufacturing stylish DECT phones to produce system phones that are easy to use, configurable and scalable. The modern design in black and titanium is also impressive, striking to the eye and a strong contender as the centre- piece for any desktop in the enterprise space. If they were big enough, noted Walshe with a knowing smile, the phones would carry the slogan ‘premium design, premium features, not premium priced’.
The Gigaset Pro portfolio has also been designed to match
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