The Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series now supports Cisco Headset 561 and 562.

Cisco Headset 561 has a single earpiece that makes it lightweight. Cisco Headset 562 has a dual earpiece for use in a noisy workplace. Both headsets are compatible with the standard base and the multibase.

Administrators can remotely configure the Cisco Headset 500 Series settings. Download the defaultheadsetconfig.json sample file from the Cisco Headset 500 Series section of the Cisco Software Download website. The URL is http://software.cisco.com/download/navigator.html?mdfid=286320550. The sample file is with headset Firmware Release 1.0(2).

Remote configuration is only available for on-premises phones and supports Cisco Unified Communications Manager Software Releases 10.5(2), 11.0(1), 11.5(1), 12.0(1), and 12.5(1).

Remote configuration is supported on the following Cisco headsets:

• Cisco Headset 531 and 532

• Cisco Headset 561 and 562

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco Headset 500 Series User Guide

• Cisco Headset 500 Series Administration Guide

Your users have an improved call experience with whisper paging. In previous releases, your calls were interrupted by a page. But now your phone rejects any pages when you are on a call, and ensures a distraction-free experience.

This feature is supported on Cisco Unified Communications Manager Express.

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Your Cisco IP Phone has been made even more secure with support for Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) certificates. These certificates are stronger than the RSA-based certificates and require a smaller key size, making them a quicker solution for your network security.

The ECDSA certificates are available in the following areas—Certificate Manager, SIP, Certificate Authority Proxy Function (CAPF), Transport Layer Security (TLS) Tracing, Entropy, HTTP, and computer telephony integration (CTI) Manager.

Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) certificates require Cisco Unified Communications Manager 12.5(1) or later.

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager

• Security Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Release 12.0(1)

Mobile Remote Access (MRA) now supports Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE). ICE is an optional deployment that improves the reliability of MRA calls across a firewall or Network Address Translation (NAT). It uses Serial Tunneling and Traversal Using Relays around NAT services to select the best media path for a call.

ICE is configured in these ways:

• System defaults—You apply ICE settings across a network with the Enterprise Phone Configuration window.

• ICE Profiles—You apply ICE settings to a phone group with the Common Phone Profile Configuration.

Secondary Turn Server and Turn Server Failover is not supported.

You can find additional information in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comment documents:

• Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN): Relay Extensions to Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN)(RFC 5766)

• Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE): A Protocol for Network Address Translator (NAT) Traversal for Offer/Answer Protocols (RFC 5245)

Interactive Connectivity Establishment requires Cisco Unified Communications Manager 12.5(1) or later to function properly. Interactive Connectivity Establishment is also supported on Cisco Expressway X12.5 or later.

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Administrators find this approach improves control because phones cannot register until the activation code is entered and the Manufacturing Installed Certificate (MIC) is verified. It is also a convenient way to bulk onboard phones because it doesn't use the Tool for Auto-registered Phone Support (TAPS) or autoregistration.

Activation Code Onboarding is an easy way for users to configure their phones because they only enter a 16-digit activation code. Codes are entered either manually or with a QR code if a phone has a video camera. An administrator provides the codes, or a user may be able to get one from the Self Care portal. But they expire after 1 week by default and an administrator regenerates a new one.

This feature is supported on phones that are used within a company's premises.

Activation Code Onboarding requires Cisco Unified Communications Manager 12.5(1) or later to function properly.

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series User Guide

Administrators can now disable the handset audio path on a phone. This allows users to easily handle calls with their headset, and use their headset as the primary call management device. This is ideal for any user who frequently handles calls with a headset, or for anyone who prefers the convenience of a headset.

Users must select Headset on the phone. The headset button on the phone is lit when the headset is selected. If the headset is not selected, then there is no audio on the phone.

This feature is controlled with the Disable Handset parameter. Sign into Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, and navigate to Device > Phone. Select your phone, and navigate to the Disable Handset field in the Product Specific Configuration Layout pane.

The Disable Speakerphone and the Disable Speakerphone and Headset parameters also control the audio path to the phone. If these two parameters are used with the Disable Handset parameter, then there is no audio to the phone.

Disable Handset can be configured for individual phones, or for a group of phones with the Common Phone Profile.

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series User Guide

You can now disable specific Transport Layer Support (TLS) cipher suites that are used by the TLS connection, or handshake between the network and a phone. This allows you to tailor your security for known vulnerabilities, and to align your network with your company's policies for ciphers.

You disable ciphers with the Disable TLS Ciphers parameter. Sign into Cisco Unified Communications Manager Administration, and navigate to Device > Phones. Select your phone, and navigate to the Disable TLS Ciphers field in the Product Specific Configuration Layout pane.

Your choices are:

• None

• TLS_RSA_WITH_3DES_EDE_CBC_SHA

• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA

• TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA

• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

• TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256

• TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

• TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_256_GCM_SHA384

None is the default setting. If you select all of the phone ciphers, then phone TLS service is impacted.

For more information about phone ciphers and security, see Cisco IP Phone 7800 and 8800 Series Security Overview available at https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collaboration-endpoints/unified-ip-phone-8800-series/white-paper-listing.html

This feature has no user impact.

Where to Find More Information

• Cisco IP Phone 7800 Series Administration Guide for Cisco Unified Communications Manager