In this update: (August 2025)
• 3CX’s Latest Product News
• 2Talk News – SMS for 3CX
• Yealink product updates
• Grandstream News
• CommBox product updates
• Fanvil product updates
• Jabra product updates
• Demo equipment
• Case studies – stories sell products!
• Join our LinkedIn UC community to see the news first
3CX Latest Product News
Update 6 with the new reporting was the most anticipated release of 3CX v20 and it went live on the 27th of June local time in NZ! 3CX are still very busy despite their summer holiday season and during August 2025, we’ve had our first look at Update 7 in both Alpha and Beta releases. Update 7 remains as a beta and is not yet ready for production systems, perfect for exploring on your test systems.
- Update 7 Alpha Blog – The focus in this update is around making life for the system admin easier. Amazon AWS S3 buckets are now an option for remote storage. 3CX’s own health monitoring allows for easier active monitoring of 3CX services and system metrics. A wider range of destinations for offloading data for analysis with MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server now supported. There is much more information in the blog which is linked so check it out.
- Update 7 Beta Blog – adding to the new announcements from the Alpha, the Beta introduces the Supervisor Role which allows those with these rights to view reports; manage departmental call handling without needing to give them higher rights. There are also more updates and fixes – check out the full blog.
Update to the Live Chat and WordPress Plugins
Please review the blog here where 3CX outlines the latest update to the Vue 3 Framework and the security updates that come with this. There are notes in the blog on how to update.
V20 Windows Softphone, iOS App, and Android App each on version 5.2 go live – last month we saw versions introduced for the key apps and 5.1 went live. During July we’ve had betas and now go live versions for 5.2.
- Windows Softphone 5.3 – blog announcement found here. This update focuses on voicemail transcription, number blocking and SMS restrictions.
- iOS App 5.3 – blog announcement found here. This version includes voicemail transcription previews, number blocking and SMS country‑code restrictions.
- Android App 5.3 – blog announcement found here. This update focuses on voicemail transcription snippets, number blocking and SMS restrictions through your Android phone.
Visual Call Reports in MS Excel & Google Sheets
This blog from 3CX is about a new tool developed by a 3CX employee. He has created a prototype tool to help users generate visual reports from their PBX call log data in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. You’ll recall, the CDR system has been rewritten to improve data handling and support larger deployments. Larger deployments will offload to an external database and use Grafana for reporting but for small installations Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets templates can provide sufficient analytics.
The prototype tool is an early version, provided as is, without having been tested by 3CX. But if you’d like to test drive it, 3CX would welcome your feedback. The templates do not use VBS or any other external components. See the full blog post for instructions and templates.
Upgrading to v20 – v18 is fully EOL in days:
The EOL of v18 will become final very soon – the 31st August 2025 deadline is when the PUSH notifications for mobile apps and SSL certificates end, we’re now in the final month to get customers up to v20 without going offline.
Important reminders before upgrading to version 20 – if you do nothing else, please ensure that you read these two very important documents:
- Upgrade from v18 to v20 Configuration Guide – this guide is kept up-to-date by 3CX and part of the Administration Manual.
- Upgrade checklist & FAQ Blog – this was released in early January 2024 to cover all the important steps you must do before proceeding with an upgrade. Remember you’re moving from Debian 10 through to Debian 12 and there is no roll back from the upgrade. License keys move from being v18 to v20 keys as part of this process.
IMPORTANT – SET YOUR SYSTEM OWNER! We’ve had a few cases of customers locking themselves out during the upgrade process and new charges will be incurred if you need 3CX’s support teams help.
V18 went EOL at the end of 2024 and support is no longer available on this version. While v18 update 9b is still able to communicate with the 3CX Activation Servers that time is limited. V18 PUSH notifications were due to end by the end of April 2025, however 3CX has extended the PUSH notifications for iOS and Android until 31st August 2025.
2Talk News – SMS for 3CX
SMS for 3CX in NZ is a regular topic of conversation with our 3CX partners – we’re pleased to advise that 2Talk now have this available. Visit this landing page for the 3CX SMS Configuration Guide and 2talk Business Messaging Guide.
Additionally, if you’re interested in becoming a wholesale supplier, 2talk offers a tailored solution through their My Cloud Telco variant, designed to support scalable and flexible business communications, reach out to the Partner Team on partners@2talk.co.nz.
Yealink Product News
The requirement for meeting rooms to be fitted continues to accelerate and Yealink has a solution for all spaces from small huddle to large Pro AV.
We see our key job as being to assist and empower our partners to sell these solutions with confidence and ensuring the right product for each space. The Android product family fits extremely well into a lot of the NZ meeting room spaces:
• A10 MeetingBar – Very small/huddle space 3-4 people
• A40 MeetingBar – small to medium space
• A50 MeetingBar – large space – up to 10 metres from front of room to end of table!
• MeetingBoard Pro – 65”, 75”, and 86” options available – most popular on the moveable trolleys!
The A40, A50, and MeetingBoard Pro units are the next generation solutions with exceptionally clear cameras and audio. We currently have special NFR pricing on the A40 and A50 units so you can equip your own offices and the MeetingBoard Pro units are on hot pricing until the end of the year – reach us on uc@bluechipit.co.nz for more info.
Not to be forgotten are the powerful Windows based solutions. There can be a preference based on the MTR product features between Android and Windows or the best choice of product if you’re looking at a larger or more complex space – multi-camera, ceiling audio (speakers & microphones) and more. Yealink has a solution to fit. Do you want to know more including how to scope a space? Reach our team on uc@bluechipit.co.nz.
Headset news: Yealink’s NFR promotion came to an end on the 30th June – if you do need to equip your team, please reach out to us on uc@bluechipit.co.nz and we’ll see how we can help. If your team use and love the headsets, it’s much easier to sell and support them for your own clients.
Grandstream news
What are the key features and benefits of Wi-Fi 7? In this blog post from Grandstream they deep dive into the key strengths of this latest technology. We have the first three Wi-Fi 7 units from Grandstream announced with more to follow as the portfolio expands (even their image has a yet to be announced model!).
If you’d like to know more about any of the Grandstream range – from SIP phones and facility access, to switches, routers and Access Points we can assist, reach our UC Team on uc@bluechipit.co.nz.
CommBox product updates
CommBox’s Commercial Displays are well known in the ANZ market. CommBox have solutions from Meeting Room Displays to Intelligent with Android on board, through to interactive and onwards to large format and LED. We can assist you to find the right solution for your needs. Megan is heading to Sydney this week (August 2025) for the Integrate Expo and looking forward to checking out all the latest enhancements and updates! At our recent Bluechip ANZ Sales Conference the presentations were on the massive 100-inch CommBox LED screen which delivers stunning visuals, limitless versatility, and immersive presentations. Here’s the team wheeling it in ahead of the sales kick-off and ready to unfold it and be ready for the first presentations!
If you’d like to know more about the commercial Intelligent Displays or any of the CommBox family of products, reach out to us on uc@bluechipit.co.nz.
Fanvil product updates
Fanvil has a vast array of business SIP phones that meet many different customer requirements. For our 3CX partners many of the units can also act as a router phone (SBC onboard) option. There are limits of how many phones can connect via the various models, but these give a great option for customers with a Cloud hosted instance of 3CX. Last month we featured the V62 Pro unit with the Bluetooth wireless handset. Below are some of the most popular XU and V series units at present.
Jabra product updates
Jabra have you covered for all your headset requirements from wired; Bluetooth wireless; and DECT wireless options. They also have the fantastic video conferencing solutions available.
Earlier this year Jabra announced their Panacast 40 for small huddle spaces – Megan is off to Integrate this week to see it in action and first stock is due in NZ within days. It’s designed to maximise every small meeting space and with its unique 180° field-of-view ensures everyone is seen and included. Even those close to the screen, in the corner or sitting against the wall will be seen and heard. No distortion or blind spots – simply a 4K panoramic view of every in-room participant and a 4X digital zoom that captures the entire meeting space. This is ideal for a space of 4 people as pictured below! More info to come very soon but if you cannot wait, reach out to us on uc@bluechipit.co.nz.
If you’d like to know more about it or any of the Jabra offerings contact our team on uc@bluechipit.co.nz.
Demo equipment
Case studies – stories sell products!
We value the opportunity to work with you to produce case studies on success stories with our UC brands. If you have a good story to share, please reach out to us on uc@bluechipit.co.nz and we can work with you. Case studies help sell the products to another customer. Grandstream have an incentive for GWN case studies but for case studies that we produce we’re happy to shout your team a pizza lunch. Get in touch so we can help you grow through sharing successes.
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