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After two massive releases like v7 and 7.1, we here at Bicom Systems have decided to dedicate this release cycle to enhancing what we have already introduced while still sneaking a few new toys to expand our products’ service offerings.
Thus, you are going to see a number of new features, some big, some small, but all aimed toward improving on the existing experience and building upon it to keep guiding you toward the future of telecommunications with simple, but sturdy steps.
Until then, we hope to have met your expectations and that both you and your clients remain satisfied.
Here’s what 7.2 has in store.
One of the biggest changes coming in PBXware with 7.2 is the addition of the SMS Connector API, a stepping stone toward better communication interconnectivity.
It serves as a standardized interface that enables the development of custom SMS trunks that can enable compatibility between the PBXware instance and a currently unsupported SMS provider, opening up a whole new avenue of communication for the business.
And all of that is made available to you after performing a few simple setting adjustments.
To make integration with existing systems even easier, 7.2 brings ARI application registration to PBXware, allowing you to create an even more intricate call network than vanilla PBXware currently allows.
Another big addition to PBXware’s toolset is the Event Manager, allowing PBXware admins to further streamline workflows between PBXware and third party platforms/services through custom HTTP requests.
Another big change has occurred in Contact Center as the team keeps working on improving all omnichannel functionalities, the addition of Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp to the roster of covered communication channels, providing your customers with even more contact options for your business.
While not as major of a change as two new communication channels for Omnichannel, the addition of Canned Responses to the Contact Center’s tool arsenal allows agents to resolve some commonly asked customer queries faster by relying on these preset answers, enabling them to focus on more complicated tasks.
The introduction of WhatsApp into the Omnichannel circle has also led to the introduction of WhatsApp templates into the mix, allowing businesses to have access to preset responses with which to better communicate with its WhatsApp customer base, allowing for better information communication.
Prior to 7.2, the customer journey was tracked per channel, but with this latest version, we have enhanced this functionality to now track every interaction the customer has with the business across all supported channels.
During unplanned service outages or other unforeseen events, it can be difficult for the affected customer to communicate the problem, but with our OpenStreetMap integration into Contact Center, they don’t have to.
Easily locate the approximate area of the customer based on their IP address and offer them personalized assistance based on location.
Managing every contact is made easy with the Contacts module, a way for businesses to get a handle on their contact list.
The module in question now possesses further functionalities that should make contact management even easier, namely allowing quick contact additions or edits either by users through forms or by agents or supervisors themselves.
Though, the biggest upgrade is the ability to add contacts in bulk through a simple .csv file upload, allowing you to quickly populate contact lists with ease.
gloCOM’s 7.2 journey comes with some interesting additions. Let’s start with the simplest, yet equally as relevant one where gloCOM members can transform their existing, standard groups into shared groups.
These shared groups help provide new group arrivals access to the group’s full chat history, making onboarding processes or other conversations easier to follow without the need to repeat information as more people join.
On the gloCOM Meeting side, we have a great quality of life update with the added option of being able to schedule meetings directly from the chat toolbar, allowing for quicker meeting organization without the need to add specific participants or having to switch between countless tabs.
Another QoL update comes in the form of added clarity in regards to screen sharing during meetings. A notification that informs the user when the presenter has started sharing their screen on the participant’s side and whether or not the presenter’s screen is being shared on the presenter’s end, as well as informing the presenter of the screen’s visibility on the receiver’s end.
In order to make navigation and use even faster on Meeting Web for all participants, we have mapped a few key tools to keyboard shortcuts.
This release also provides organizers and co-organizers to utilize their full capabilities through gloCOM Meeting Web as well by allowing them to end the meeting if joining from the web client rather than having to use the desktop or mobile version to do so.
These are only some of the more notable changes that have been introduced with the release of 7.2.
Plenty of other bug fixes, quality of life changes and feature updates have also been introduced, like:
• Adding OneDrive to the list of supported archiving storage providers
• Adding the ability to Pause/Resume call recording on Multi-tenant systems (Deskphones)
• Adding the ability to set up a custom group chat icon on gloCOM
• Introducing TLS/SSL cert validation for gloCOM GO when logging into PBX as an additional security measure against unsecured connections.
• Adding a call quality indicator to gloCOM GO to more easily spot potential issues during calls
• Allowing external participants joining the meeting from gloCOM Meeting Web or GO to upload a custom avatar on the web or mobile client
• Adding a reaction summary for presenters on the Meeting Web app
• Adding a full participant history on the Meeting Web app
We hope that these changes will lead to a more intuitive and less cumbersome experience with the Bicom Product Suite and we look forward to your impressions on v7.2.
Until the next major release, we hope that we can continue delivering on the features that help benefit you and your business as a whole.
For any additional questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Satellite communications company Eutelsat Group says it has extended its partnership with InterSAT, one of Africa’s leading satellite service providers, to support InterSAT’s growth in the pan-African enterprise and retail segments.
Under the latest multi-year strategic deal, InterSAT says it will add Ku-Band capacity over Central and Eastern Africa on Eutelsat’s Eutelsat 70B satellite to its current portfolio which already includes Ka-Band capacity on the Eutelsat Konnect satellite.
Located at the 70.5° East orbital position, Eutelsat 70B offers a broad wide beam coverage and four high-performance fixed beams, with a high degree of on-board connectivity.
As the partners point out, the deal highlights the role of VSAT services delivered through powerful, geostationary capacity to reach remote areas
As Hanif Kassam, Chief Executive Officer of InterSAT explains: « Leveraging our VSAT service expertise and our teleport infrastructure, we are able to use satellite communication to deliver reliable and cost-effective connectivity to remote and underserved areas while assuring a high-end user experience for our customers.”
Ghassan Murat, Eutelsat’s RVP of the AMEA region adds: “The growth of VSAT services in Africa is a testament to the potential of this technology to transform the continent’s ICT landscape, connecting more people and businesses than ever before, as well as the ongoing relevance of our powerful geostationary in-orbit assets to deliver a compelling and reliable connectivity service to the remotest areas.”
This is the second Africa-related announcement from Eutelsat in only a few days. As we reported yesterday, Eutelsat Group and YahClick, the data solutions arm of UAE-based Yahsat, have signed a multi-year, multi-Gbps contract under which Yahsat will lease capacity from the Eutelsat Konnect satellite to extend YahClick’s service coverage, particularly to Ethiopia.
This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Dan Rhodes, Director of Business Development at designer and manufacturer of RF-to-mmWave components and subsystems, Filtronic.
~ Pioneering space communication with terrestrial know-how ~
Bridging the terrestrial and non-terrestrial worlds is not merely a matter of applying existing technologies to a new canvas. While both environments share fundamental principles of communication and rely on robust components such as transmitters, receivers, filters and amplifiers, the shift upwards introduces a unique set of challenges and demands. … [visit site to read more]
Four more expansion and upgrade items for infrastructure around the world: … [visit site to read more]
Saudi Arabia-headquartered satellite operator Arabsat announced on Wednesday it is working with ST Engineering iDirect to deploy cloud technologies into its gateway infrastructure as part of a plan to reach new markets in the Middle East, Africa and West/Central Asia.
The move is part of an extension of the existing partnership between the two companies that aims to expand coverage of Arabsat’s BADR-7 Ka-band satellite and its 6A Ku-Band satellite to “manage connectivity services in countries that face poor infrastructure challenges.”
To that end, Arabsat is deploying the next-gen iDirect Hub infrastructure to expand its existing Dialog and Evolution-based ground systems in four new gateways.
The iDirect Hub Infrastructure leverages virtualization and cloud technologies that enable it to provide a highly-scalable and flexible solution for Arabsat’s Dialog-based gateway deployments, achieving a higher throughput, greater efficiency and flexibility, ST Engineering said.
ST Engineering iDirect said this will establish the foundation for Arabsat to migrate to a virtualized, cloud-based hybrid infrastructure over time. It will also give Arabsat the option to adopt ST Engineering’s recently announced next-gen ground system “Intuition”, which supports standards-based, end-to-end orchestration capabilities that could accelerate time-to-market and streamline service delivery.
Arabsat didn’t specify which markets it is targeting under the new initiative, or where the new gateways would be established. BADR-7 and 6A Ku-Band currently serve locations in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Arabsat said it has two gateways utilizing and operating almost 30 beams on Ka-Band, Ku-band, and C-band on BADR-7 and 6A.
Arabsat CEO and President Alhamedi Alanezi said the extension deal will not only bring vital connectivity for managed services such as e-learning and disaster recovery solutions to residents in the targeted countries, but also enable the operator to expand its services portfolio across the entire region to provide a superior satellite broadband experience with competitive market SLAs.
“We are dedicated to promoting fairer distribution of broadband for a range of use cases, continuing to deliver the very best quality of service content for our customers, and ensuring we have a future-proof network so we can adapt and respond as market demands evolve,” he said in a statement.
Don Claussen, CEO at ST Engineering iDirect, said his company is “committed to delivering flexible and future-ready solutions that enable Arabsat to address a wide range of services from media and enterprise, to mobility and broadband, to help them to unlock new markets and growth.”
Arabsat – which is wholly owned by the Arab League – also said its expansion into new markets is “part of Saudi Arabia’s wider initiative to continue to invest in space, diversify from the media and broadcast sector and bring satellite internet capabilities to users in remote and underserved areas through its VSAT broadband business.”
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One new data center, one partnership expansion, and some new fiber connectivity: … [visit site to read more]
Five interesting projects from around the world to catch up with: … [visit site to read more]
Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, articles, event and product updates posted on Developing Telecoms.
Subscribe to our FREE weekly email newsletters for the latest telecom info in developing and emerging markets globally.
