First Look: Cisco SPA501G IP Phone

The Cisco SPA501G joins the already released Cisco SPA525G as part of the Cisco Small Business Pro product line. The Cisco SPA501G is an 8 line IP phone with dual switched ethernet ports and support for IEEE Power Over Ethernet (POE). The Cisco SPA5001G can also be powered via an external AC power supply (not included with the phone).

With a manufacturer list price of $135, the Cisco SPA501G has 8 dedicated line LEDs and a removable paper insert instead of an LCD display. You can purchase the Cisco SPA501G now on VoIPSupply.com for $104.95/ea. The paper insert is designed to organize extensions and speed dial numbers for quick reference. The Cisco SPA501G is intended for use in break rooms, retail desks or common areas where a display is not needed. The SPA501G also features a Full Duplex Speakerphone, Message Waiting Indicator Light, 4-way navigation key, and 12 button dial pad, dedicated illuminated buttons for Volume, Hold, Menu settings and Voicemail access.

The Cisco SPA501G supports a variety of compression codecs including the popular G.729a codec. The SPA501G also supports G.722 for High Definition Audio. The Cisco SPA501G features a web UI for local provisioning and can also be provisioned remotely via TFTP, HTTP or HTTPS. Other features of the Cisco SPA501G include remote in-service firmware upgrade, XML configuration files, 256 Bit AES encryption of configuration files, and asynchronous notification of Upgrade Availability via SIP Notify.

If additional line support is required, the Cisco SPA501G is fully compatible with the Cisco SPA500S attendant console, and can accomodate up to 2 expansion modules (Up to 64 additional lines)

The Cisco Small Business Pro series IP telephones include the SPA501G, SPA502G, SPA504G, SPA508G, SPA509G, SPA525G and the SPA500s Attendant console. These are the first IP phone products that Cisco has released since merging Linksys into the Cisco brand. In addition to SIP, these products also support Cisco’s SPCP (Smart Phone Control Protocol). With dual SIP and SPCP support in the same firmware, these IP phones can be used on popular Asterisk based platforms as well as on Cisco’s UC500 small business IP communications platform.

It is likely the the Cisco SPA5XX series phones will eventually replace the Linksys / Cisco SPA9XX and IP500 phones. Stay tuned to The VOIP Insider for further coverage of the SPA501G IP Phone as well as the other models with the Cisco Small Business Pro product line.