What is regionalization?

In most previous releases, the dial plan on an CIC server was specific to a single site and Central Office (CO) or PBX. In a configuration where a central CIC server hosts one or more remote offices, significant handler modifications were required, and every line and station in remote offices had to use the same dial plan. Sites with remote SIP devices had to configure the codecs for each device individually. CIC system configuration was independent of the phone configuration, and there was no way for various phones to use a specific (unique) gateway when dialing the same phone number.

Now, however, CIC administrators can use regionalization features to create "Locations" comprised of (SIP) lines and stations and the codecs that enable them to communicate. These locations are normally used in the new single-table (i.e., simpler) dial plan configuration to support unique and localized dial patterns for remote sites. This concept of region, or location, enables administrators to specify and control the resources (for example, lines, stations, gateways, and servers), and codecs for all of the connections on a remote or local CIC system. It makes it easier and more flexible to configure multi-location installations, and it centralizes control of codecs and call routing. The new single-table dial plan can apply to all lines and line groups hosted by an CIC server and it can route remote SIP station calls to local gateways.

Initially, this location configuration applies only to SIP lines, stations, and Media Servers, but eventually it may apply to other resources as well. Existing sites that upgrade can choose to continue to use their original dial plan, since migration is not required unless you want to take advantage of the regionalization features for SIP lines and stations.