Siemens Enterprise Communication’s quest for differentiation has taken it squarely into the realm of HD Voice. In two separate announcements, Siemens plays up the value of higher quality voice-based interaction to overcome many problems arise when conversations are multi-site, multi-lingual or involve members who are aging or experiencing some form of hearing loss.

Siemens calls its new product line AudioPresence(tm) HD. It integrates HD-quality, standards-based audio codecs (G.722) into the range of speakers, microsophones and aucoustic components that are embedded in its OpenStage-branded IP phones.
The same technology will be integrated in the upcoming release of OpenScape UC Version 6, which supports multi-party audio conferences and brings an “Automatic Gain Control” feature which is designed to “normalize” the annoying rises and falls in voice volume across multiple talkpaths.

As Siemen sees it, HD is best suited to support conversations “among people with diverse native language backgrounds” which they see as a fast growing market. They are backed, in this assessment, by global research firm MZA Ltd., which predicts that the worldwide conferencing solutions market will grow to nearly $8 billion at a compound growth rate of over 13%, attributing that growth to restrictions on business travel.

The announcement of HD voice coincides with the launch of its OpenStage 5 SIP phone. The company positions the OpenStage 5 SIP phone as an entry level phone that supports AudioPresenceTM HD, as well as many other key business and security features.

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Tags: Unified Communications, Voice Services, SIP, Siemens