3CX Phone System

3CX essentially acts as a server running functions like a telephone exchange, presence, chat, teleconferencing, etc. Therefore, it requires:

• Installation Space: This depends on your existing infrastructure. It can be within the company (appliance, server, VM) or external (collocated, IaaS, Software as a Service from 3CX with some limitations).
• Connection to External Telephone Networks: Any technology, be it analog, digital, or VoIP, can be integrated. A voice gateway might be required.
• Internet Connection: Necessary for various reasons such as communication with remote internal users, connecting with VoIP providers, receiving updates, teleconferencing functions, etc.
• Communication with Local Users: Your local network suffices. A separate voice VLAN is recommended in all cases, and in larger installations, the use of QoS is advised.
• Telephony Devices: Broadly speaking, this can be the free software provided by 3CX on a computer or smartphone, an IP phone, a DECT wireless implementation, or any other specialized endpoint required (conference phone, door phone, intercom, PA).

IP Partners can provide you with all the equipment and services for a turnkey implementation!

No, 3CX bases its phone system licensing on the number of simultaneous calls being made, regardless of the number of users.

For example, in an installation with 16SC (simulation channels), consider the following scenario:

• 5 outgoing calls
• 4 incoming calls to operators
• 3 incoming calls in a queue
• 2 internal calls

All of these are taken into account, totaling 14 simultaneous calls. In this example’s phone system, 2 more calls can still be made.

A practical rule of thumb is that you need about as many simultaneous calls as the available voice channels you have. For instance, if you have 3 ISDN connections, you can make a maximum of 6 simultaneous calls, so the 3CX license you need would be for 8SC.

When the available simultaneous calls are exhausted:

• Existing calls and queues remain unaffected.
• The system does not accept further calls and sends a busy signal to the callers.
• System administrators receive email notifications about the incident.

No, for some years now, 3CX has been offering its licenses only on a pay-as-you-go model as prepaid licenses for one, three, or five years.

Upgrading an annual license (increasing simultaneous calls or upgrading from Pro to Enterprise) can be done at any time. On the other hand, downgrading the license can only be performed at the end of the prepaid period.

The current published recommended prices of 3CX with an annual commitment are:

The above prices do not include VAT.

There is a 5% discount for a three-year commitment and a 10% discount for a five-year commitment.

Potential discounts within the framework of a project are possible. Contact the Corporate Sales Department for details and offers.

The 3CX cloud Software-as-a-Service operates flawlessly and is the most cost-effective overall implementation. However, due to the nature of the service, there are some basic limitations:

• Resource Limitations Tied to the License:
  • There is a user limit per license. For example, the machine provided with the 8SC license supports a maximum of 25 users.
  • There is a limit on the space for voicemails and call recording. Similarly, for the 8SC license, there are 3GB available for voicemails and 8GB for recording.
• No WAN/VPN Connection Capability:
  • Only Internet-based VoIP providers are supported. Connection to traditional providers and technologies is not possible.
  • Only IP devices are supported. Analog, FAX, and others connected via FXS gateway cannot be connected.
  • IP telephony devices must be behind an SBC (Session Border Controller, usually a computer) for points up to 100 devices, or a router phone (telephony device with SBC functionality) for points up to 10 devices.

If these limitations affect you, a “3CX cloud phone center” is feasible, and we can provide it using cloud infrastructure (Infrastructure as a Service, IaaS). Contact us to present the alternatives you can use.

Yes, 3CX can collaborate with all providers of both traditional and VoIP telephony.

Regarding analog or older digital technologies (PSTN, ISDN-BRI, PRI-E1), there are two solutions:

• All providers, some more willingly than others, can convert your existing technologies to VoIP.
• If for any reason this is not feasible, then we simply use devices that convert analog or digital communication into network communication (voice gateways). The same applies to mobile connections (GSM, 4G).

In this case, there are many possibilities and implementation combinations that cannot be adequately analyzed here. The two extreme cases are:

• Central Phone Center for All Points: In this case, the branches should be connected via WAN/VPN for their internal communication and for access to the phone center, or alternatively, an SBC (or router phone in smaller branches) can be used. The routing of geographic numbers can range from very simple, as in the case of VoIP providers, to very complex.
• A Phone Center at Each Point: Here, we have independent installations with the only additional task being their bridging (tunneled bridge) to allow internal calls.

Of course, between these two, there are all other cases. For example, one phone center in large branches and remote connection in some smaller ones.

Certainly, we have implemented many similar scenarios with a wide range of combinations of providers, locations, and technologies.

From the 3CX side, an Enterprise-level license will be required to activate the Inbuilt Failover and Standby License features.

Firstly, this does not concern the phone center you will use but rather the provider.

• Non-VoIP, national providers offer only the numbers corresponding to each physical location – branch. Depending on the case, to route remote points to another central point may require either SIP-to-SIP gateways, internal (IP) routing, or, in disaster recovery scenarios, coordination with the provider and routing via BGP, or a mix of the aforementioned.
• VoIP providers, as per legislation, will ask you to prove that you have a branch in the area in order to give you a local number. From there, implementation is quite straightforward.

The terms IP telephony, VoIP, and SIP are used interchangeably and refer to the same thing: making telephone calls over data networks:

• IP Telephony: This is the most accurate and general term that describes making telephone calls over a network.
• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol): This is one of the fundamental protocols for making and controlling calls over a network.
• VoIP (Voice over IP): This term refers to the technologies used for making calls to external numbers via the Internet or other data networks and is practically a subset of IP telephony.

The quality of communication via VoIP technology is significantly better since it is the only one that supports high-definition encoding (G.722, Opus).

VoIP can also be quite more reliable than traditional technologies because we can use alternative connections or routes. If we simply use one connection, then VoIP is as reliable as any other technology.

VoIP is, after all, the technology we use daily. It supports all core networks of mobile and landline telephony and by the end of 2025 is expected to be universally used in every call.

3CX supports all the functions of a classic PBX and many more.

Also, you don’t need to worry about the cost of these features! All the basic functions of a classic PBX and Call Center such as call parking, call pickup, ring groups, auto attendant, IVR, voicemail, call queuing, call recording, switchboards, callback, etc., are available even with the basic license and there are no additional charges.

• Analog Devices: These are classic PSTN devices with a single pair wire connection. They can be used with FXS gateways that convert the analog signal into a network connection. This is not recommended as the functionality is very limited and the cost per point is comparable to that of an economical IP telephone device.
• Digital Devices: A connection of two pairs of wires to an existing digital or hybrid phone center. These devices cannot be used.
• IP Telephone Devices: If they support the widely used SIP protocol, they can be used with some limitations in support and functionality.

See the fully functional and 3CX-supported devices here.

Under normal conditions, each IP telephone device requires a connection to the local network. This connection can be exclusive or shared with a computer’s connection (socket, phone, computer in series).

If there is no network cabling at all, an alternative is the use of the wireless WiFi network for connecting corresponding functionality telephone devices or the creation of a wireless DECT network (multicell).

Old telephone wiring of a single pair can be used by maintaining the old analog devices and connecting them to 3CX via FXS gateways. In this case, the functionality is very limited and is recommended only for very low usage cases (e.g., hotels). Other solutions like Ethernet over Single Pair (EoSP), Ethernet extenders, etc., are not cost-effective for mass application.

• Contact Synchronization: 3CX can synchronize its directory with the contacts of Microsoft 365 to always be updated.
• Presence Synchronization: 3CX can pull information from Microsoft 365 Calendars and automatically update your status (presence) as busy.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): Users can use their Azure AD credentials, simplifying their connection to the phone center.
• Teams Direct Routing: Making calls to external numbers through Microsoft Teams. In this case, 3CX operates as the call routing system and allows users to use features such as call recording, queues, etc.

Currently, no CRM software made in Greece is natively supported by 3CX, and we consider it unlikely to happen in the near future.

The CRMs that are supported are primarily of international scope, such as Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, etc. However, there is an available API that could be used for collaboration with any available software.

3CX provides a range of features that ensure the security of users and the confidentiality of communication:

• 3CX supports SIP over TLS encryption and Secure RTP (SRTP), two protocols that ensure communication confidentiality from user to user.
• 3CX also offers a series of anti-fraud systems such as blacklisting addresses that show suspicious behavior, control over the number, duration, and geographic distribution of calls, protection with PIN for specific external calls, etc.

However, the security of 3CX, like any other telecommunications system, largely depends on its implementation and maintenance.

The installation of your phone center, like any other new installation by IP Partners, is accompanied by a free 100-day technical support and management contract.

You can see details about the contracts and the operation of the Technical Support Department here.

Unlike traditional phone centers, 3CX does not have special maintenance requirements. Also, as it is part of the IT equipment, the corresponding department, if it exists, can undertake its daily management. These two factors result in significantly lower costs for support contracts compared to a traditional phone center.

Support for 3CX includes a range of tasks such as: managing, installing security renewals and operating system upgrades, taking backup copies of the center, maintaining 3CX and other devices in the latest version, daily support of operators, creating and distributing reports, monitoring the system for faults and addressing them, etc.

Certainly, we can support both your 3CX phone center and the other systems on which it bases its operation, as well as your entire IT and communications infrastructure. You can find more details about the Technical Support Department and its operation here.

If you have more questions or need further translations, please let me know!

No, this should not be an obstacle in our collaboration and certainly will not create a problem in serving you.

A significant part of the implementation, such as the configuration of the devices and the phone center, is carried out by our technicians in our facilities. If on-site installation is required, it can be performed either by your IT department in consultation with us or exclusively by our personnel and partners, regardless of where in the country you are located.

Regarding the technical support of the phone center, the statistics of the Network Management Center of the Technical Support Department are overwhelming: less than 5% of incidents require on-site intervention, and of those, fewer than half require specialized personnel. In any case, even in this highly unlikely situation, we can serve you.