Requiem for a VoIP Phone – Aastra 6757i CT and Aastra 9480i CT

Too often we get caught up with the newest releases from manufactures but fail to show products that are discontinued their due respect. Since there isn’t a budding market for vintage VoIP phones or antique analog telephone adapters, most are destined to be unceremoniously phased out and scrapped without a second thought. With this in mind I thought I would take a step back to take a look at two phones that were recently discontinued.

The Discontinued

Aastra has announced that they are discontinuing the popular Aastra 6757i CT and Aastra 9480i CT VoIP phones. The reason for the phones being discontinued is a supply issues with one of the critical components related to the CT handset. This issue only affects the CT versions and not the non-CT versions (Aastra 6757i and Aastra 9480i) which are still available.

What separated the CT phones from the non-CT versions and other VoIP phones was the cordless DECT handset that added increased mobility.  While common among analog phones, nobody had added this functionality to a VoIP phone before Aastra. With the CT handset you could answer an incoming call on either the desk phone or if you were away from your desk on the CT handset. The CT handset featured most of the standard features of a desk phone so you could also make calls, put people on hold, use a headset etc. Another nice feature of the CT phones is you could pair additional handsets to the base phone for even more mobility.

The paired DECT handsets made the CT phones popular for use in everything from doctors’ offices, warehouse, homes, really everywhere were people wanted mobility. While the phones are going away the demand for the combination of a desk phone and mobility isn’t.

The end of DECT from Aastra?

The discontinuation of the Aastra 6757i CT and Aastra 9480i CT doesn’t mean that Aastra is pulling out of the DECT handset business. The supply issue seems to be tied specifically to a part required to make the CT units and in the coming weeks we can expect to see a lot more in the DECT phone market from Aastra. Whether there is a replacement in the works from Aastra for either the 6757i CT or 9480i CT is yet to be determined but I personally hope there is.