Migrating Mitel 6900 series phones to Zoom Phone

Mitel customers can migrate their Zoom-supported Mitel phones to the Zoom Phone service. This article explains how to convert your Mitel devices from MiNET firmware to SIP firmware for use with Zoom Phone.

Note: After conversion, phones will be unable to register back to the Mitel PBX system unless they are converted back to MiNET.

Requirements for migrating Mitel 6900 series phones to Zoom Phone

• Before migrating your Mitel phones to Zoom Phone, ensure you have an active Zoom account with users already created, if the migrating phones will be assigned to named users
• Account owner or admin privileges
• Supported Mitel phones
• Open access on port 443 (https) to the Mitel RCS (ZTP) server by whitelisting the required URLs and/or IP addresses
• Open access on port 443 to Zoom Provisioning servers
• Removed any DHCP/DNS entries that might redirect Mitel phones to the old platform (particularly DHCP options 125/43 that return the call_srv record)

Understand the migration process overview

To avoid service interruption, add MAC addresses to Zoom only immediately before you are ready to migrate.

1. Modify DHCP options.
2. Ensure that your Zoom account is set up and that all users have been added to your account.
3. Add specific Mitel phones to Zoom users.
4. Factory reset the migrating phones.
5. Check the status of your Mitel devices on Zoom after a successful factory reset.

How to remove DHCP configuration for existing Mitel devices

On-net customer deployments use DHCP to direct phones to the Mitel PBX. For migration purposes, you need to ensure phones no longer receive this configuration. This can be accomplished through the folloiwng approaches:

Create a new network subnet

Establish a new VLAN without the Mitel-specific DHCP options. When ready to transition a phone to Zoom:

1. Move the phone to the new subnet (either physically or through switch configuration).
2. Perform a factory reset.

Exclude specific phones from the current DHCP scope

Depending on your DHCP server type, you might be able to exclude specific phones from receiving the DHCP options that return the option 125/43 call_srv record.

Remove all DHCP options

If you're not planning to test migrations, you can migrate all phones at once (bulk phone migrations) by removing option 125/43 entirely.

Note: Since any phone that reboots will automatically switch to Zoom, this approach is not recommended for testing migrations.

How to add Mitel phones to Zoom account

You can add Mitel phones as unassigned devices or assign them to specific users when adding them to your Zoom Phone account.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Phones & Devices.
3. Click Add.
4. Enter the following information:
   • Display Name: Enter a name to identify the phone.
   • Description (Optional): Enter additional information if needed.
   • MAC Address: Enter the 12-digit MAC address of the device.
   • Device Type: Select the appropriate Mitel phone model.
   • Assigned To: Choose to assign to a user or leave unassigned.
   • Provision Template (Optional): Select the provision template for this device.
5. Click Save.

Note: For more detailed instructions, learn more about managing phones and devices.

How to factory reset Mitel phones

The phone will contact the Mitel Redirection & Configuration Server (RCS) if:

• It cannot find network configuration information from DHCP when in MiNET mode.
• It does not have a configuration when in SIP mode.

After completing DHCP changes, performing a factory reset will enable the phone to communicate with RCS. If the phone has been added to Zoom Phone, the entry for the phone's MAC address will be included in RCS, and the RCS will then direct the phone to Zoom's Zero Touch Provisioning service.

The phone (with MiNET firmware) will upgrade to SIP firmware and then reboot. After the reboot, it will get its configuration from Zoom. The firmware version does not matter as long as the phone talks to RCS. The phone will be updated to the correct SIP firmware if the entry has been made by Zoom Assisted Provisioning.

Factory reset a 6900 series phone

1. Press Settings.
2. Press the Advanced softkey.
3. Enter the Advanced security password (contact your phone administrator for the password), then press Enter.
4. Access and select Restore Default.
5. Select Yes.
   The phone will perform a factory reset and reboot. The following will happen automatically:
   • The phone with MiNET firmware will upgrade to SIP firmware and reboot.
   • After rebooting, it will retrieve its configuration from Zoom.
   • The phone will be updated to the correct SIP firmware if the entry has been made by Zoom Assisted Provisioning.

How to check device status after migration

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin.
2. In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management then Phones & Devices.
   On the page, the phone is online when the label Online is shown in the Status column.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about migrating Mitel 6900 series phones to Zoom Phone

What is the minimum phone SIP firmware required for migration?

There is no minimum firmware version requirement. The appropriate firmware version will automatically be downloaded when the phone connects to RCS.

How long does the migration process take?

On average, the phone reboot process takes 7-10 minutes, though this duration may vary depending on network conditions. During migration, the phone will undergo three sequential reboots:

1. Initially, the phone is sent to RCS.
2. Next, the new firmware is downloaded, and the phone is redirected to Zoom Phone.
3. Finally, the phone connects to Zoom Phone and receives its new configuration.

Can the phone be registered back to the Mitel PBX after migration?

After conversion to SIP firmware, phones will be unable to register back to the Mitel PBX system unless they are converted back to MiNET.

This article applies, but is not limited to, the following Mitel systems:

• MiVoice Business (MiVB)
• MiVoice 5000 (MiV5k)
• MX-One