On March 21, 2017, Authorized Toshiba Dealers received e-mails stating “We regret to inform you, that as part of its continuing global restructuring, Toshiba Corporation has deemed it necessary to wind-down our Telecommunications Systems Division (TSD) business starting immediately.”
Toshiba's 250 dealers, with over 500 offices, were stunned by this news. TSD had operated in the United States since 1975 and was in the top 3 market share for small and midsized business phone systems.
Mitel Announces Toshiba TSD Acquisition
Then, on May 11th, Mitel confirmed it would acquire this business from Toshiba. Mitel reordered equipment to replenish inventory and all of Toshiba’s product line was again available for new orders – or so it seemed.
Mitel instead announced a "Phase Out Plan" for Toshiba CIX and IPedge product lines. It followed the timeline detailed below:
- "End of New Systems Sales" - October 31, 2018
- "End of Add-On Sales" - October 31, 2019
- "End of Technical Support - October 31, 2021
This means that new Toshiba equipment is no longer available from Mitel. This also means Technical Support from Toshiba/Mitel will only be available for another few months.
After that, there will no longer be any factory support for Toshiba telephone systems. While this does not mean they will quit working, it does mean that support and parts will be more difficult to ascertain.
So, what does "End of Life" mean for current Toshiba business phone system users?
- Don’t panic! For the time being, we can support you with our well-qualified technicians.
- If you have plans for expansion or new locations, please let us know so we can confirm product availability.
- Contact us so that we can help you begin planning to budget for a new phone system. Reach us by phone at 402.398.9580 or send us an email at info@coretech.us. We have multiple offerings for on-premise and cloud/hosted systems and would welcome the opportunity to discuss your specific needs.
Unsure of the next step to take for your business communication needs? Our expert team can help choose the right path for your business!
Or, if you're looking for Toshiba phone system support, click this button.
Blog post has been updated for relevancy and accuracy, Jan. 13, 2021.