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Conference

Conference feature allows end users to involve three or more parties in a call. BE4000 supports both Built-in Bridge and Hardware Conference.

Built-In Bridge

Built-in Bridge is enabled by default in the BE4000 and allows the end users to host conference calls involving a maximum of three parties. For conference calls using the built-in bridge, the DSP resources that are available in the phone hardware is used.

End users can start a conference by pressing the Transfer button on the phone.

Hardware Conference

Hardware conference uses the DSP resources that are available in the BE4000 appliance. Hardware conference can be either Ad-hoc or Meet-me. Cisco Partners or Customer Administrators can enable hardware conference post site deployment under Manage Site > Conferencing.

Note

When hardware conference is enabled, Built-in bridge gets disabled automatically.

Ad-Hoc Conference

Ad-Hoc conference allows BE4000 to host conference calls involving a maximum of 8 parties. End users can press the Transfer button on phone to start an ad-hoc conference call.

Cisco Partners and Customer Administrators can enable Ad-hoc conferencing.

Meet-me Conference

Meet-Me conference requires the end users to dial a predetermined Meet-me conference number. Cisco Partners or Customer Administrators can configure the meet-me conference numbers. Meet-me conference can involve a maximum of 8 parties.

Meet-Me Conference Dependency on Codecs

The number of Meet-me conference bridges that can be configured depends on the codecs that are configured for the site. The following are the number of Meet-me conference bridges that are allowed based on the codecs:


Codec Enabled	Maximum Number of Simultaneous Meet-me Conferences Allowed
g711ulaw	5
g711alaw	5
g729r8	3
g722-64	3
ilbc	—

Enable Hardware Conference

Procedure

Step 1

Step 2

Click Manage Site > Conferencing.

Step 3

Turn on the slider to enable hardware conferencing.

Note

The slider is unavailable if “ilbc” is selected as the SIP codec.

Step 4

Enter the Meet-me conference numbers in the “Extensions” field. The number of Meet-me conferences that can be enabled depends on the codecs selected. For more information, refer Meet-Me Conference Dependency on Codecs.

Note

Meet-me conference meeting number must have same number of digits as that of an extension.
The first digit of the Meet-me conference number cannot be the same as the digit used for dialing an outside line, sending a call to voicemail automatically, and dialing an intercom extension.

Step 5

Click the arrow at the bottom of the screen.

Step 6

Click Yes to save the changes.