Voice and Telephony

Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express (CME) is call control software that runs on a Cisco voice router. It registers IP phones, handles extensions, hunt groups and call routing, and connects calls to analogue or digital lines through the router's voice modules. It suits smaller sites that want an on-premises Cisco phone system without a separate call server.

An FXS port supplies dial tone and ring voltage, so you plug analogue devices into it: phones, fax machines or door entry units. An FXO port connects to something that supplies dial tone, such as an analogue line from a provider or an extension on an existing PBX. Many offices need both, which is why combined modules exist.

Digital signal processors convert between IP voice and analogue or digital telephone lines, and handle transcoding between codecs and conferencing. Calls between two IP phones on CME do not usually need them, but calls through FXS or FXO ports do. The number of DSP resources limits how many such calls run at once.

It depends on the router model, its slots and its IOS XE and CME versions. ServerDove does not guess compatibility. Send the router model, software version and what you want to connect by WhatsApp +974 5521 2108 or sales@serverdove.com, and the team will confirm before you order.

Most Cisco desk phones, including the models listed here, can take Power over Ethernet from the switch port they plug into. Check the switch supports PoE and has enough total power budget for all phones. Where PoE is not available, a local power supply for the phone is needed, and it is usually sold separately.

Yes. Cisco licenses voice features on the router and the phones registered to CME separately from the hardware. What you need depends on the router, the software version and the number of phones. Confirm the requirements and terms with Cisco before ordering, and the team can help you list the hardware side.