CERNphone

  • CERNphone

  • Mobile

As announced on the CERN website in February 2022, the Alcatel PABX service is being decommissioned and phone users must migrate to CERNphone, a softphone client available for desktops, laptops and mobile phones.  It is highly recommended to use CERN landlines while calling abroad. For most CERN members, given the removal of physical telephone devices, this means to use data calls with a softphone solution such as CERNphone that enables you to use your landline number on your mobile phone. Installation instructions, Userguide, FAQs and advantages are well explained and maintained in the documentation .

What is CERNphone?

CERNphone is a softphone solution provided by the IT department. It replaces CERN’s legacy Skype for Business and Alcatel telephony services. CERNphone consists of a dedicated SIP backend, configuration and provisioning web interfaces, as well as two phone applications:

  • CERNphone mobile: A mobile softphone app for iOS and Android customised to CERN needs (based on the popular Linphone open source VoIP client).
  • CERNphone desktop: A softphone app for Windows, ΜacOS and Linux developed at CERN.

There are five thousand CERN users, who have installed the CERNphone application. In cases where a physical telephone device is needed, for example secretariats or control rooms, an IP phone installation is authorised. If you think you are eligible, explain the reasons here.

Why use CERNphone?

There are several drivers behind CERNphone:

  • Focus on software-based solutions replacing physical phones and avoiding associated costs (such as purchasing, installation and renewal of IP phones, networking switches and outlets, cabling).
  • Reduce costs originated by mobile calls - calls placed via CERNphone to non-CERN numbers are much cheaper than those placed via CERN’s mobile subscriptions, even when on data roaming.
  • Use fixed telephony phone numbers owned by and reserved for CERN, rather than mobile numbers that may change again on future tenders.- It is cheaper to install CERNphone on your mobile telephone and use that for calls to CERN, than just dial a number!
  • It is also much more cost-effective to use CERNphone for telephone calls abroad, check the Features section .

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