Nortel Phone Systems Dying Out

In 2009, Avaya acquired Nortel. The Nortel industry exit left customers stranded regarding their business phone systems. It has become increasingly difficult for TeleDynamic to find replacement parts and qualified technicians, as most of them are now retired.  This means that all support for Nortel will soon be ending.

Here is the reality for companies that are still using this system: your old Nortel system is hanging by a thread, and Nortel has reached the end of its life. While this cannot be avoided, you can be educated and prepared.

There are many causes of PBX system failure, but here are the top three:

System Programming Failure

The older Nortel systems use a super-capacitor for storing the system memory.  The problem is that super-capacitors commonly fail as they age. 

In the event of a power failure, all of your programming is lost (extension numbers and names, call handling, etc.). The system needs to be completely re-programmed which can take hours of billable labor. Plus, you’ve got downtime associated with the repair.

Power Supply Failure

Power supplies are the single largest reason Nortel systems fail. The power supply converts regular AC electrical current from the wall to a lower voltage DC current. That process creates heat and eventually the heat destroys the power supply. Naturally, if your power supply fails, your whole phone system goes down. TeleDynamic gets a lot of emergency calls to replace old PBX power supplies.

Norstar Component Failure

The Nortel phone systems rely heavily on hardware, and the system is comprised of several cards and modules.

If the T1 card fails, there are no inbound or outbound calls. This results in customers who are trying to call hearing the ring, but receiving no answer. Not exactly a good way to treat customers. 

If a station module fails, the telephones stop functioning. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict when a card or module may fail.  When it does, your phone system is down. Missed calls potentially mean lost business.

While the Nortel systems were well-engineered and reliable, just like any electronic components they have a finite lifespan  Additionally, service on this equipment has a lifespan also.  If the reseller can no longer get parts or can’t afford to retain the old technicians who know this equipment, they have to get out of the business.  So, on a number of levels, Nortel products are reaching the end.

Please feel free to contact TeleDynamic today regarding any questions about your Nortel PBX or questions about moving to a new Virtual PBX or a new premise-based phone system.