8x8 Inc. and Aastra have partnered to deliver a VoIP service-phone bundle at Office Depot, joining other providers and manufacturers such as Microsoft and Speakeasy, targeting the SOHO and SMB users through big box retailers.
8x8 Inc. announced last summer a similar distribution deal with Staples to sell its Virtual Office hosted PBX system for small businesses on Staples.com. It also has been working with Office Depot for the past two years to distribute Virtual Office along with an analog phone and ATA.
Aastra will supply co-branded 8x8/Aastra 6755i Virtual Office IP phone and 8x8 provisions and manages the 8x8 Virtual Office hosted IP PBX service.
The 8x8/Aastra 6755i Virtual Office IP phone replaces the Virtual Office ST2118 analog business phone that Office Depot had previously been carrying.
The 675xi was jointly developed by 8x8 and Aastra and was introduced last summer. There are three versions of the phone; Office Depot will carry the midrange phone, priced at $199. A low-end version at $149 and a high-end version at $299 are available directly from 8x8 or online at www.officedepot.com.
Designed with 8x8’s advanced network address translation (NAT) traversal technologies to facilitate usage from any high speed Internet connection worldwide, the 8x8/Aastra IP phones plug into any broadband Internet connection to allow users to immediately make or receive calls without performing any network configuration or firewall manipulation. In addition, the 8x8/Aastra IP phones deliver enhanced features, including corporate directory display and lookup, extension dialing and transfers, intercom paging, shared line appearance and an embedded XML browser.
“We believe the 8x8 Virtual Office Business Phone System and new 8x8/Aastra co-branded IP phones offer an outstanding value that will benefit any business looking to enhance and save on their telecommunications costs by adopting proven IP technology,” said John Lostroscio, vice president of merchandising, consumer electronics and peripherals, for Office Depot, in a press statement. “We are excited to be the first retailer to offer the newest 8x8/Aastra IP phone product in our stores.”
