Avaya IP Office is Avaya’s hybrid phone system for small and midsize businesses. It runs traditional (TDM) lines and IP phones on one platform and scales from Basic Edition for very small sites up to Select, which Avaya rates at 3,000 users. The current software release is 12.3, and releases 11.1.2 and earlier are no longer supported.
This guide is for a facility that already runs an Avaya PBX and wants to expand it, or a project whose tender names Avaya. It explains the editions, perpetual versus subscription licensing, and what to check before you decide, using Avaya’s official documents only and without quoting prices.
Key takeaways
- Avaya IP Office runs in two forms: a hardware control unit with Basic, Essential or Preferred Edition, or a Linux server with Server Edition or Select.
- Avaya announced general availability of Release 12.3 on 30 April 2026. Its server software is built on Rocky Linux 9.
- Releases 11.1.2 and earlier reached end of sale on 12 August 2024, and their software support ended on 12 August 2025.
- Subscription licences do not work with Basic Edition and cannot run alongside perpetual licences on the same system.
- Before expanding, confirm the software release, the licence type and phone compatibility. These decide whether you can simply add users or need an upgrade or replacement.
In this article
- What is Avaya IP Office, and who is it for?
- Avaya IP Office editions compared
- Perpetual licence or subscription?
- What is the current IP Office release, and what is still supported?
- What to check before expanding or replacing an Avaya PBX
- Expand, upgrade or replace?
- Common mistakes with Avaya PBX systems
- Frequently asked questions
- Summary
What is Avaya IP Office, and who is it for?
In the Saudi market, “Avaya PBX” (سنترال افايا) usually means Avaya IP Office, Avaya’s platform for small and midsize businesses. The official Feature Description for Release 12.2 SP1 describes it as a hybrid system that supports both TDM and IP telephony. Very large enterprises usually run Avaya Aura, a different product that this article does not cover.
Avaya’s IP Office fact sheet (April 2025) lists voice, video, messaging and conferencing, Microsoft Teams integration, and the Avaya Workplace app. In practice it fits three situations:
- A business with a working Avaya system and staff used to its phones, which needs more extensions or a new branch.
- A project or tender that specifies Avaya to keep systems consistent with other sites.
- A company that needs several sites on one phone network with voicemail and user apps.
If you are starting from scratch and comparing brands, read our overview of IP PBX and IP phone brands in Saudi Arabia. That article covers the general comparison; this one focuses on Avaya IP Office alone.
Avaya IP Office editions compared
Avaya calls the editions “modes”, and each mode is enabled by a licence. The table below is based on the official IP Office Knowledgebase and the April 2025 fact sheet:
| Edition | Platform | What it adds | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Edition | Hardware control unit | Default mode on a new control unit. No IP phones, no user applications, cannot be networked with other systems | Small site with traditional phones only |
| Essential Edition | Hardware control unit | Needs an Essential licence. Adds IP phone support and lets several systems be networked | Office that wants IP phones or links two branches |
| Preferred Edition | Hardware control unit | Builds on Essential and adds Voicemail Pro and one-X Portal | Company that needs advanced voicemail and a user portal |
| Server Edition | Linux server (physical or virtual) | Up to 2,000 users and 32 sites. Hardware control units can be added as expansion systems | Midsize, multi-branch business |
| Select | Linux server | Higher capacity: up to 3,000 users and 150 networked sites | Larger branch network |
The Knowledgebase also lists “Basic Edition – Norstar Mode”, which behaves like Basic Edition and, according to Avaya, is sold in the Middle East and North Africa. You may see this label in the settings of existing systems in Saudi facilities.
The 12.3 release notes list VMware, Hyper-V, KVM, Azure, AWS and Google Cloud as supported virtual platforms.
Perpetual licence or subscription?
IP Office offers two licensing models. Perpetual licences are tied to a release, and moving between releases needs paid or entitled upgrade licences, as the 12.1 release notes state. The IP Office Subscription mode enables features with per-user monthly licences and runs on the hardware control unit and on Linux servers, including virtual servers.
Three rules from Avaya’s Subscription Licensing Supplement (Issue 3.0, September 2023) shape the decision:
- Subscription licences require release 11.1 or later.
- Subscription and perpetual licences cannot run on the same system, so switching means moving fully, not mixing.
- Subscription is not supported with Basic Edition.
The supplement defines three subscription user types: Telephony User (Basic), Telephony User Plus (Essential) and Unified Communication User (Power). The type you assign to each employee drives the monthly cost, so a staff member who only needs a desk phone does not need a Power user.
What is the current IP Office release, and what is still supported?
Check this first: adding extensions to an unsupported release means investing in a platform that no longer gets security fixes. Avaya’s official notices in brief:
| Release | Status per Avaya | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| R11.0 to R11.1.2 | End of sale 12 August 2024; software support ended 12 August 2025 | No patches or service packs. Upgrade before any serious expansion |
| R11.1.3 | Last service pack was 11.1.3 SP2 (June 2024); no further ones planned | Future fixes ship in R12 only. This is the stepping stone to R12 |
| R12.0 | Generally available since 14 May 2024 | Start of the R12 generation |
| R12.1 and R12.2 | 12.1 GA on 3 December 2024; 12.2 SP1 GA on 22 December 2025 | R12 releases; features differ between them |
| R12.3 | GA announced 30 April 2026 | Current release; server software on Rocky Linux 9 |
Two points from the 12.3 release notes: the build table lists the internal Unified Communications Module (UCM) as not supported on 12.3, and Avaya states that existing UCM modules will receive no future software or security updates. Upgrading older Linux servers also requires reaching 11.1.3 FP2 or later first, then following the R12 upgrade procedure. The 12.2 SP1 documents state that IP Office Support Services (IPOSS) remains N-1, subject to the support contract.
What to check before expanding or replacing an Avaya PBX
Ask your system administrator or current supplier for this information before requesting any quotation:
- Exact software release: shown in IP Office Manager or Web Manager. If it is 11.1.2 or older, upgrade first.
- System type: hardware control unit or Linux server, and whether an internal UCM is installed.
- Mode and licences: Basic, Essential, Preferred or Server Edition; perpetual or subscription; and the current number of user licences.
- Phones: type (digital, IP or DECT wireless) and models. Some older models have reached end of sale, so check their status before buying more. J100 series phones are supported on 12.3.
- External lines: analogue lines or a SIP trunk from the service provider, and the number of simultaneous calls you need.
- Avaya support contract: whether it is active and whether it entitles you to upgrades without buying new licences.
- Integrations: voicemail, mobile apps and Microsoft Teams. One example of release impact: the 12.2 SP1 documents state that Voicemail Pro integration with Microsoft Exchange 2016 and 2019 is no longer available.
When new phones or network devices are imported into the Kingdom, IP phones fall under the Technical Regulation for Communications and Information Technology Devices through the SABER platform. Details are in our article on SABER conformity for network and telecom devices.
Expand, upgrade or replace?
There is no single answer, but the checks above point the way:
| Current system | Closest option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Supported 12.x release with room to grow | Expand: more user licences and phones | Lowest cost and disruption; users keep their phones |
| 11.1.3 with an active support contract | Upgrade to 12.x, then expand | Move to a release that still gets fixes before adding anything |
| 11.1.2 or older with no support contract | Weigh upgrade against replacement | Upgrade licences and hardware may cost close to a new system |
| Basic Edition, but IP phones or apps are needed | Change mode with an Essential or higher licence | Basic Edition does not support IP phones |
| Relies on an internal UCM | Move applications to a separate server | UCM is not supported on 12.3 and gets no future updates |
If replacement is the answer, compare IP systems by extensions, lines and applications, as explained in our guide to choosing an IP PBX for business.
Common mistakes with Avaya PBX systems
- Buying phones before checking the release: a new phone may need newer software than the system is running.
- Mixing subscription and perpetual licences: Avaya does not allow this on one system, so switching is an all-or-nothing decision.
- Ignoring support status: a system that works is not necessarily a supported one. Releases 11.1.2 and earlier have had no updates since August 2025.
- Copying old specifications into tenders: a tender that asks for “Avaya IP Office” without stating the release, mode and user count invites quotations that cannot be compared.
- Depending on the UCM: sites running voicemail or one-X on a UCM need a migration plan before moving to 12.3.
Frequently asked questions
Is Avaya IP Office still supported by the manufacturer?
Yes. The platform continues, and the latest announced release is 12.3 (April 2026). Software support for releases 11.1.2 and earlier ended in August 2025.
What is the difference between Essential and Preferred Edition?
Essential adds IP phone support and system networking. Preferred builds on it with Voicemail Pro and one-X Portal.
How many users does Avaya IP Office support?
According to Avaya: up to 2,000 users and 32 sites on Server Edition, and up to 3,000 users and 150 sites on Select.
Can an existing Avaya system move to a monthly subscription?
Yes, if it runs release 11.1 or later and is not Basic Edition. Subscription and perpetual licences cannot run on the same system.
Can I add new Avaya phones to an older system?
It depends on the software release and the phone model. Check the release first: J100 series phones are supported on 12.3, and some older phones have reached end of sale.
How much does an Avaya PBX cost?
There is no fixed price. Cost depends on the platform, mode, number of user licences, licence type, phones and support contract, so a quotation follows a review of the system.
Summary
Every Avaya IP Office decision starts with one question: which release is the system running? On 12.x, expansion is usually the most economical route. On 11.1.2 or older, upgrade or replace before expanding. In between, licence type, phones and the UCM set the scope of work. AZEIDK lists the Avaya brand under its network and communication systems solutions in Saudi Arabia, and the Avaya phones available are listed on the Avaya brand page.
Running an Avaya PBX, or working on a tender that names Avaya? Send us the system release and the number of extensions and phones, and we will review the available options with you. Talk to the AZEIDK team
