03 May 2018

Midlands-based Armstrong Bell has been awarded several contracts to supply local schools with hosted voice and PBX fixed phone systems.

Depending on their technology requirements, the schools will receive a mix of either a traditional or a hosted voice PBX.

Armstrong Bell says this gives schools the use of telecoms systems without the need to invest in equipment. The call platform is hosted and customers connect via IP to the service provider for their voice service.

Schools that will use the company’s telecoms services include The Blue Coat School in Edgbaston, South Bromsgrove High School, and Severndale Academy in Shrewsbury.

Armstrong Bell adds that by using the hosted VoIP systems, the schools will benefit from a network that is able to continue working through extreme weather conditions.

The company’s CEO Will Copley says: “Most businesses are going over to hosted voice for easier support – it’s cheaper overall and when we meet customers we can demonstrate that to them. They immediately see the cost benefits of hosted – hosted voice never goes out of date.”

But he goes on to point out that what is good for business doesn’t necessarily suit all sectors. “Some schools are just not suited for hosted voice. For example, one of our schools wants to have PBX – they wanted less cover over seven years – and we also have an expertise in PBX going back many years.”