NEC Will Discontinue Support for On-Premises Telephony

What alternatives are available?

NEC, one of the most prominent names in the telecommunications sector, announced that it will gradually withdraw from the production of on-premises enterprise telephony systems. This decision will put an end to local PBX services starting in March 2026, although several initial measures take effect in December 2024, such as the acquisition of new systems and expansions of existing platforms.

Who Is Affected

This decision impacts users of NEC's main local telephone system models: SL2100, Univerge SV9100/SV9500, and Univerge 3C.

The Withdrawal Timeline

The timeline for this transition indicates that NEC will not accept new orders after December 31, 2024. Shipments of the last accepted orders will be completed before March 31, 2025.

If Your Company Uses NEC, You Should Know This

The company will cease providing hardware and software support starting March 31, 2026.

NEC solutions are known for being robust and reliable, especially for services that require high availability. If your company falls into this group, this news may have hit hard. But there is no need to worry -- there are viable paths forward.

Implementing cloud-based communication solutions brings benefits that can offset the initial challenges. These are systems that offer great flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, enabling rapid adaptation to dynamic needs and resource optimization.

Another advantage is that these solutions are managed by the service provider. This means you will not need dedicated internal staff for this task.

In this way, migrating to the cloud can streamline operations, improve productivity, and support the long-term growth of your business -- even in ways that traditional on-premises systems could not.

So, What Options Do I Have?

You can opt for public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid solutions. The range of options will adapt to the technical requirements of your organization, as well as your business needs and budget constraints.

Public cloud services, also known as UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) systems, consist of a platform hosted and managed by the service provider. On your end, you will only need to integrate the telephone lines and connect users, and we are here to help you with that.

If your company already has services with a cloud provider (Azure, AWS, GCP, or one provided by a local service provider), you could consider migrating your telephony and UC system to that hosting environment. You will continue to reduce operational costs and gain significant flexibility.

Finally, it may be the case that you are not yet ready to fully migrate to the cloud. Even so, you have the option of deploying hybrid systems where you can use your local infrastructure while planning other migration processes for later, at your own pace. These systems can also be contracted as subscription services, so you should not need to worry about large upfront investments.

Embracing Change as an Opportunity to Innovate

This strategic withdrawal occurs in a context of similar decisions already made by other major manufacturers (such as Toshiba and Panasonic). This reinforces an industry trend moving toward more advanced and integrated communication technologies.

While the transition presents challenges for small and medium-sized businesses that depend on NEC's local infrastructure, the initial difficulty can become an opportunity to innovate internally.

If you would like to learn more, contact us.

Paysandu 926CP 11100MontevideoTel: +598 2902 1477

Av. Ana G. Mendez 1399, km 3PR 00926San JuanTel: +1 (787) 775-2100

Carmen C. Balaguer 10El Millon, DNSanto DomingoTel: +1 (809) 412-8672

Our Policies