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Das Gigaset CL690A SCB mit Smart Call Block, dem weltweit ersten Cloud-basierten Anrufschutz in einem Festnetztelefon
Unwanted calls repelled reliably
21. January 2020 Published by Raphael DoerrSmart Call Block is the intelligent means of protecting against unwanted calls. The new CL690A SCB from Gigaset automatically compares unknown numbers with the entries in tellows’ online database. Depending on their classification, the telephone does not ring or the caller hears an engaged signal – a world’s first in landline telephony. Apart from the premium call protection offered by Smart Call Block, the Gigaset CL690A SCB comes with a 2.4-inch color display, a large address book with space for up to 400 contacts, three integrated answering machines, and access to all entries in the dastelefonbuch.de directory via the Gigaset cloud.
The phone rings. The number shown on the display is unknown. Is it an opinion research institute, the call center of a mobile provider or a gas or electricity supplier? Or just a good friend who has a new phone number? 95 percent of Germans rate cold calls on the landline connection as unwanted. The number of written complaints to the Federal Network Agency has more than doubled from 2016 to 2018.1 “Elderly people in particular find it difficult to get rid of unwanted callers,” says Ralf Schweitzer, Senior Product Manager at Gigaset. But now there is Smart Call Block, the world’s first intelligent, cloud-based means of protecting against calls in a landline phone.
Strong partners: Gigaset and tellows
The Gigaset CL690A SCB accesses the knowledge amassed in the tellows database over the Internet. Every day, hundreds of thousands of members of this online community classify unknown phone numbers by specific criteria – for example, whether the call is from a call center, an opinion research institute or an instance of aggressive advertising. They classify the call as trustworthy, neutral, unwanted or dangerous and can specify additional information on the caller, for example, if a company wants to win back customers after they have terminated their contract. All that information is shown on the display of the CL690A SCB when a call from an unknown number is received. That means the call recipient knows what to expect before picking up the phone.
Smart Call Block warnt vor unerwünschten Anrufern – gleichzeitig lassen sich Anrufe von unbekannten Nummern bewerten.
Smart Call Block warns against unwanted callers – at the same time, calls from unknown numbers can be rated.
“Together with Gigaset, we are introducing unprecedented value added to a landline phone in the shape of Smart Call Block,” says Stefan Rick from tellows. “Our community keeps the entries in the tellows database up-to-date. And users of the Gigaset CL690A SCB benefit from that.” The community only rates numbers of general interest from which many people are called. Individual private numbers are excluded from that. tellows has tight controls to prevent phone number ratings from being manipulated and thus ensures a consistently high quality of service. On the basis of the information from tellows, various protection modes can be selected in the menu of the Gigaset CL690A SCB – depending on the rating for the number making the call, the phone does not ring or the call is blocked completely and an engaged signal is sent, for example.
The digital phone book in the handset
“Once the CL690A SCB has been connected with the Gigaset cloud, there are virtually unlimited possibilities,” states Ralf Schweitzer. “We offer free access to all entries in the digital directory of Das Telefonbuch from the device – thanks to our cooperation with DTM Deutsche Tele Medien GmbH.” The DTM jointly publishes Das Telefonbuch in collaboration with 41 publishing houses. Users can search for numbers by city, last name, first name and street. If the function is activated, the handset therefore also shows the name of callers not in the local address book. They can also perform a reverse lookup by entering the phone number. “We have grown used to having a lot of convenience features on smartphones. It’s second nature for us to search for a number on our mobile phone and then dial it right away. We see no reason why people should do without that when they phone on the landline.” Free calls can even be made worldwide between the CL690A SCB and Gigaset GO phones over the Gigaset cloud.
The Gigaset CL690A SCB with Smart Call Block, the world’s first cloud-based call protection in a landline phone
Cordless landline technology in tune with the times
All the functions of the CL690A SCB can be called quickly and easily on the large, clear color display. The handset impresses with brilliant sound quality, even in handsfree mode. The device comes in a modern, lean design and offers numerous personalization options with the user’s own photos and ringtones. Thanks to ECO DECT, the cordless phone always has a stable connection to the base station and its transmitting power is only as high as is needed. It is completely radiation-free in standby mode, making it very energy-efficient. The three integrated answering machines in the base station offer ample space to record up to 55 minutes of messages, and customized announcement texts can be spoken on them.
An Internet connection is required to use the online services of the Gigaset CL690A SCB. The device is connected to the Gigaset cloud via the Gigaset Smart Home app for Android and iOS. The Smart Call Block service is free of charge for 12 months, after which it can be booked for a subscription fee of €9.99 a year. The CL690A SCB goes on sale in Germany in the Gigaset online shop and at stores at the RRP of €89.99 as of January.
In the future, Gigaset will offer the premium call protection “Smart Call Block” to all users of the IP-based Gigaset GO cordless telephone family. The service will be bookable separately from existing devices and can be commissioned via firmware update. The costs will be at 9.99 euros per year in a permanent subscription. Phone users who will be able to use the service will be informed via push-notification on their device.
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