On March 21, 2017, Toshiba Telecommunications Division announced that it would “wind-down the Telecommunications Division starting immediately.” Toshiba dealers across the nation were stunned (to say the least) since the Telephone System Division has operated in the U.S. since 1975 and was in the top three market share for SMB telephone systems for decades. Dealers were told orders could be submitted until May 22, 2017, providing only a two-month notice before shutting down completely.
On May 11th, Mitel confirmed it would acquire the telecommunications division from Toshiba; however, would only support the Toshiba phone systems for a limited period of time. Their main goal was to acquire Toshiba dealers and end-users and convert them into Mitel PBX customers.
Mitel announced their “Phase-out Plan” for Toshiba Strata CIX phone systems and IPedge IP phone system product lines with an “End of New System Sales” date of October 31, 2018, and “End of Add-on Sales,” such as phones, cards, and licenses effective October 31, 2019. “End of Technical Support” is scheduled for October 31, 2021.
The main problem with the “End of Add-on Sales” effective October 2019 is that Mitel/Toshiba will no longer sell new licenses and all existing licenses that dealers kept in stock will be removed from Dealer’s FYI purchasing portal. This becomes a problem for companies that need to purchase licenses for new users, new voicemails, SIP Trunks, UCedge mobile clients, etc. So in a sense, it restricts companies from growing and expanding, as they cannot even buy licenses and save them for future use.
ACC recommends transitioning into a new phone system as soon as possible. Phone System costs have been reduced dramatically in the last few years as new, innovation technology and competition hits the market. A 50-user company can now purchase a brand new 3CX phone system software for 60% less than your traditional cloud-based systems. View pricing here. Oh–and did I mention this price includes unlimited phone system users, no licensing fees (yay!), no per-user extension costs, no extra fees for advanced applications, free video/web conferencing, mobile apps, free chat/talk plug-in for your website, and more.
If you are interested in upgrading your phone system, for a limited time ACC Telecom is offering a trade-in promotion up to $500 for your Toshiba PBX system. Contact ACC Telecom today for your complimentary consultation.
Since 1979, ACC Telecom specializes in business communications systems. ACC sells, installs, supports, and upgrades Cloud-based phone systems, IP phone systems, 3CX business communications system software, and 3CX Hosted. Other products and services include Mass Notification Systems, Overhead Paging Systems, IP Surveillance Systems, Carrier Services, Business SMS, VoIP/SIP Trunks, and more.