atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Nortel Telephones & Systems Nortel still a viable consideration?

With the rumors we hear about Nortel & bankruptcy, would they still, in your honest opinion, be a viable system worth considering installing?

Nortel isn't going anywhere. Their products are fine. I wouldn't sweat it at all.

They are going to merge with Chrysler and be around for friggin ever, kinda like cockroaches.

It is just bean counters screwin other bean counters, the Nortel products, tech support and crusty techs ain't goin no where!

Who you calling "Crusty" John? :rofl:

Look at it this way. In Canada where Nortel had about 95% of the market at least at one time, that's a lot of equipment out there!

I've got clients with systems that are 20 years old and, like Timex, still a'tickin'.

They do make good equipment but I think ethically if you are selling and proposing new systems shouldn't prospective buyers be informned of their current financial status?

No doubt those bidding against you will mention it and it would be easier news to explain coming from a reseller.

Who you calling "Crusty" John? [rofl]

As a matter of fact I had you in mind when I posted that statement. No doubt Nortel makes good stuff, I know I'm waiting on at least two to croak and they just won't. I've tried everything and they just won't die and I'm talkin about the old 616.

Lane, I think the OP here is in your area? Check him out via recent posts.

You have a valid point Steve, however I'm banking on Nortel's reputation of building solid equipment. As John said, they don't quit. John & I will probably both be pushing up daisies before he has to change those. .

Even then, with the multitude of parts available here in N.A., I'll never run out of parts.

IMO, Nortel is like a lot of other big companies going through current financial trouble, but I don't think they will be going by the wayside anytime soon.
Their products are to solid and reliable.
Nortel may stumble, but I don't see them falling.

Do you know who is making the Nortel phones for them? Specifically, the T7208.

I would assume Nortel, or one of it's authorized sub contractors.

P.S.: Please do not hijack a thread. Start a new thread for the new topic in the future.

Another thing to consider with Nortel’s viability… Think about the amount of DMS switches there are out there in the Telco network. If they just closed shop every Telco out there would have to be in a panic over the stability of the entire PSTN.

Good point. We run 2 DMS switches and all the independent telco's immediately around us also operate with DMS. Nortel (at least the carrier class division) won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

I discovered that our system has the Norstar Compact DR2 panel that was installed in 1991. A local Nortel dealer stopped in today and dropped off a Nortel phone that we like (T7316). Is the DR2 panel too old to take an upgrade that will allow us to have Voice Mail & Auto-Attendant? Again, thanks for all the guidance. We're not trying to do this ourselves; just seeking your advise & guidance on what route to take: 1. Upgrade current system, or 2. Install completely new system. Thanks again!

I would replace it with a newer model. I am not sure if the DR2 software supports T series phones (but I think it does), but look at it this way: If you can upgrade to a newer software to support the new telephones then that is noce. BUT, the phones are the cheaper part of the equation, that system is from '91 - it is 18 years old, it could die and then your software upgrade would have been for nothing.

If I were you I would spend the money to buy a new cabinet and keep the telephones. Then when the phones start to die you can replace them, but your system is still alive and running great. You have an assortment of options depending on your size. You could have an MICS, CICS, or BCM 50. BCM is the newest model and the most likely to stick around...but there are plenty of parts available for MICS and CICS.

Steve

Software upgrade would cost you about $100, plus programming. Think about it. The KSU could die, but then again so could one that's a year old.

Unless you're looking for a lot of bells, horns & whistles, yours with a s/w upgrade will keep on ticking.

You can put a DR 5 or DR 5.1 software into your cabinet and it will integrate a flash voice mail, but to be fully voice mail compatible, you should be using a DS version cabinet with DS software. Without Disconnect Supervision it is possible that calls answered by the the voice mail will not disconnect when the remote party hangs up.

IMHO it is a mistake to upgrade a non DS cabinet. You would be better served to upgrade the cabinet to a MICS or CICS and reuse your phones. As Dave said you could replace your phones with T7316's when the need arises .

In addition to the DMS switches you'll find pretty much all over the PSTN, a lot of carriers (especially in Canada) use their transport nodes heavily. Everything from a simple OC3-Express to 192's to DWDM.

They aren't going anywhere.

I agree, Nortel will remain vialbe. However will customers want to by from a company in bankruptcy? Auto makers are a example. Nortel may become a tough sell.

NoJitter.com

if true, hate to see this happening. Nortel's been good for a whole bunch of us over the years.

Well, I've had a couple of dealers come in, take a look over our system, then give us some quotes. The dealer I favor gave us 2 quotes; one using Refurb Equipment (DR5 w/StarTalk Flash 2VM/Auto Attendant), the other quote using a new MICS 8x32 w/4.1 Software and the same StarTalk setup. One other feature I want to make sure we get is Caller ID. Again, the current cabinet we have is a DR2 4x16 (not sure what software or how to find it?). We currently have 14 phones and I'd really only need to add 2 more phones. That maxes out the 16 ports; do you have to have available ports to use the StarTalk VM or Caller ID functions? As MooreTel states, I'm not even sure we need to upgrade the DR2 cabinet; just upgrade the software. Thanks!

As this topic is Nortel specific. I have relocated it to the proper category. Rudy has been notified. :thumb:

Think its possible the Norstar line will be sold off - say to Aastra - like the single line/2 line phone products were?

New system with 4.1 software? Are they saying the StarTalk is new?

If you have 14 phones you don't have enough room to add 2 phones AND voice mail.
This is not NEW. MICS 7.1 with a Call Pilot would be new.

I upgraded my vm to cp 5.0 and cs1000m in November and January respectively.

I would be surprised if Nortel went away but not suprised of how stupid I would look for upgrading.

I took my best guess early on.
I think it was the right choice.

Just won a bid against a Nortel. The reason the customer gave me is because Nortel may not be around long. This is what Nortel is up against.
This is tough to over come for people selling Nortel.

A bad salesman will try to use anyway weapon they can to get a sale, including putting the fear in a customer about the viability of a manufacturer or installing company.

A good salesmen will sell his/her product on merit of the product and their ability to service; not by bad mouthing the competion.

A smart consumer won't listen to the rhetoric and buy the best product for their needs.

I respect Nortel for doing what they had to do to apply the brakes back in January. I believe that after restructuring, Nortel will emerge stronger and better positioned than before.

Just a couple of sidenotes-

I once heard rumors that Nortel switches were in a basement adjacent to the World Trade Center. During the attacks on September 11th 2001, concrete walls caved in on the cabinets and racks, toppled them over and half burried them with rubble, yet they were STILL processing calls.

As far as from the Government side: As recent as this past April, Nortel's Optical Multiservice Edge 6500 was the first 40G optical platform to achieve approval for the "DISA/JITC" (Defense Information Systems Agency / Joint Interoperability Test Command) Approved Product List.

My first post here..
I agree with Vernon Telecom above.. I'd think that Nortel is in okay shape but they need to address some new technologies.
The name 'Nortel' could go a long way towards helping other Canadian Telecom companies like Sangoma or Aastra. Both make fine products but don't have the penetration.

If they could somehow merge and make a next-gen IP based system that has the market reach that the current Nortel systems have.. it would be KICK AS$! IMHO of course..

Edited to remove marketing.

Maybe with that new SIP system from Nortel.

Done selling houses? back into telecom? addictive yes.

I guess you're referring to me? yes, done with houses.
I looked at that new SIP system from Nortel. Held it and petted it, called it loving names.. but I don't think that it's real SIP, I think that it's proprietary still. At least from what was explained to me.

If that could bring them into this century, that would be great. But it's stiff competition with small companies like Talkswitch, Switchvox.. etc. etc. which are pretty well established within the small SIP space. (not to mention Asterisk in general)

Though that said.. I still run a 6x16 in my office (alongside a small VoIP box called Jazinga)

nortel

as the end-user, we started moving aggressively to shoretel a few years ago after Nortel became too expensive to upgrade vs. purchasing newer technology. still have a dozen+ Nortel systems, though, that we haven't replaced yet. from my perspective as the hands-on guy, they just work and work and work. and it's been a great career installing and supporting the equipment and users.

real shame, what's happening, if not criminal. but, that's probably part of a different thread.

I can imagine there's plenty of product available for the short/mid -term, but going to be interesting to see how the product evolves, assuming a viable purchaser is found.