VVX250, VVX350 & VVX450 Phones Supply Profile Improvement With Hardware, Software And Logistics Impact
What is changing with Poly VVX phones and why?
Poly is making hardware and software changes to Poly VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 models with the intent to improve the supply profile mitigating impacts caused by global semiconductor shortages. The VVX 150 model will not be affected.
What is the impact on software versions with the VVX x50 hardware changes?
The VVX 250, 350, 450, and EM50 models with new hardware revisions will have a new minimum supported software version (UC Software 6.4.3), and new default shipping configuration. The VVX 150 will not be impacted and will continue to work with all supported software versions.
How will the new software release be distributed?
The new UC Software 6.4.3 release will ship pre-installed with the original and new VVX x50 hardware revision and will be distributed on the Poly support web pages, Poly Hosted Server and ZTP.
When will the UC Software 6.4.3 release become generally available?
The Poly UC Software 6.4.3 release is expected to become generally available as early as mid-May 2022.
Will the new phone revisions be able to run earlier software versions?
No. The new hardware revisions of VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 will ship from the factory starting with UC Software 6.4.3 and they cannot be downgraded to an earlier software release that doesn’t support the new hardware revision.
How are devices with a new hardware revision distinguished from ones with an old hardware revision?
See the detail in the Engineering Advisory posted on the Poly Support website here.
How long does Poly expect the transition from the original to the new hardware revision of VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 to take?
Poly is expecting supply of the new hardware revision to become available as early as June 2022. We expect full transition to supplying only the new hardware revision to complete in Q3 CY2022. During the transition, original and new hardware revisions will ship from Poly warehouses.
What is the End of Life plan for the original VVX x50 hardware revision when the new VVX x50 hardware is launched?
Poly will continue to support VVX x50 regardless of the hardware revision.
Poly VVX Phones Distribution & Logistics
How do I place an order with Poly specifically for VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 with the original hardware revision?
Orders for specific hardware revisions cannot be placed with Poly. However, Poly will prioritize and fulfill orders placed before June 2022 with the original VVX x50 hardware revision as supplies last.
What hardware revision will Poly ship to fulfill existing orders for VVX 250 , 350, 450 and the EM50?
As early as June 2022, Poly will start shipping VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 models with the new hardware revision from its warehouses to fulfill existing and new orders with the following exceptions:
- VVX x50 Series OBi Edition
- current TAA-compliant SKUs of VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 (new TAA-compliant SKUs are expected to become available for ordering as early as June 2022)
Poly may continue to also ship VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 models with the original hardware revision in June 2022 and beyond as supplies last.
What hardware revision will Poly’s distribution partners ship to fulfill existing orders for VVX 250, 350, 450 and the EM50?
As early as June 2022, Poly will start supplying distribution partners with VVX 250, 350, 450 and EM50 with the new hardware revision from its warehouses to fulfill existing and new orders while winding down shipments of the original hardware revision as supplies last.
Technical Information Regarding Poly VVX Phones
How will the new software files be distributed?
Three new software image files, each ending in -021, will be created and included as part of the UCS 6.4.3 software package. The -021 suffix will differentiate the new software image files from those for the original hardware revisions, which have a suffix of -001. All software image files will be distributed on our support web pages, Poly Hosted Server and ZTP. The new software files added will be:
Can UC Software 6.4.3 coexist with VVX phones on a different software release?
Yes. Coexistence of different UC Software releases is supported. Many Service Providers and customers are planning to do this with UC Software 6.4.3 and the new VVX x50 hardware revision. Poly recommends Service Providers, Partners and customers look at what firmware they intend to coexist with UC Software 6.4.3. This is to determine if there are any differences that should be considered. Poly SE and SA teams can help in this evaluation.
Will there be a UC Software 5.9.x version supporting the new hardware revision?
Yes, UC Software 5.9.8 is planned to support the new hardware revision, however, it won’t be available until July 2022 at the earliest.
Is there any difference in the SIP stack or user experience between the new and the original hardware revision?
No, there is no difference in the application layer functionality.
Will I need Broadworks certification?
No, certification of the UC Software 6.4x version has already been completed. This incremental release does not require new certification.
Will I need to wait for the Metaswitch Endpoint Package (EPP)?
The latest posted Metaswitch EPP will be updated to support the UC Software 6.4.3 release once the software is available. We expect v51 or the EPP version, but that is subject to change and official information and updates will be found here: https://community.metaswitch.com/support/solutions/articles/76000007446-accredited-polycom-vvx-endpoint-pack
Where can I get information about other UCaaS and call platform certifications?
Poly recommends customers confirm with the respective call platform or UCaaS providers directly.
Which VVX phone models will be supported with UC Software 6.4.3?
Poly VVX 150, 250, 350, 450 and other associated EM50 expansion model as well as the VVX 101, 201, 301, 401, 411, 501, 601 and the associated Expansion Modules will be supported by UC Software 6.4.3.
Which VVX phone models will not be supported with UC Software 6.4.3?
Poly VVX 300, 310, 400, 410, 500, 600 and 1500 will not be supported by UC Software 6.4.3 or any of the UC Software 6.4.x releases.
Which VVX models will not be capable of downgrading to a pre-UC Software 6.4.3 release?
Poly VVX phones 250, 350, 450 and the EM50 with the new hardware revision will not be capable of downgrading to a pre-UC Software 6.4.3 release. See the Engineering Advisory posted on the Poly Support website here for information on how to identify the device’s hardware revision.
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