This page is for hard-core Panafans. We have history, trivia and details that normal people don't care about.

BIG THANKS to Darren at Panasonic in the UK for his help.

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Why is there KX-T and DBS?

While it seemed stupid and wasteful to external observers, Panasonic apparently thought it would make more money by having two competing groups making and selling business phone systems, instead of one group. Even though Panasonic had to finance multiple factories, sales teams, engineering groups, repair facilities, websites, warehouses, ad programs, public relations staffs, and even trade show exhibits, it must be the right decision, or they wouldn't do it. Right?

Before the Federal punitive duty mentioned above, both Panasonic phone groups made their phones in Japan, and what are now marketed as DBS phone systems had product numbers beginning with VA, like the infamous VA-208, the first Panasonic-brand key system sold in the U.S. At that time, the U.S. Panasonic catalogs included both KX-T and VA products, but in almost every case where there were competing VA and KX-T products, the VA stuff looked weird (like trimline-style phones with touch-tone pads on the back, not front) and lacked features (like auto-busy-redial).

VA consumer telephone products and multi-line phone systems were removed from the US market in about 1990. 

After the duty was imposed and KX-T moved to Britain, VA moved to VA (Virginia, that is), and started selling DBS products with VB part numbers. DBS/VB had limited success, and the American DBS operation shut down at the end of March, 2003. Some DBS products continued in production in Japan, and are distributed in the US by Abrivo Communications.

KX-T in Canada
Since Canada is a former member of the British Commonwealth of Nations, you might expect that their KX-T products would come from Britain. Nope. Canada has no anti-dumping duty on Japanese phone systems, so most or all Canadian KX-T products are made in Japan. Canada had the KX-TD digital systems before the US did, but they get cordless phones after the US.

Around the world
Both of these phones are the KX-T7720. The one on the left, sold in the USA, has 24 programmable buttons. The phone on the right, sold in other countries, has just 12 programmable buttons. In the USA, the phone comes in white or charcoal; elsewhere you can get gray or charcoal.
Both of these phone system control units are the KX-TA308. The box on the left was scheduled to be sold in the USA in early 2004, with a new series of phones based on the KX-T7700 series. It is equipped for 3 lines and 8 phones, and can't be expanded. It is the first Panasonic hybrid  system designed to use phone company voicemail. The box on the right is sold outside the USA, and is basically the same as the KX-TA624 sold in the USA. It is initially equipped for 3 lines and 8 phones, and can expand to 6 by 24.
Both of these phone system control units are the KX-TDA30. The picture at top-left is the connection panel of the KX-TDA30 sold in Germany. The lower picture is the TDA30 sold in England. The English version has a cover over its SD slot, and a jack in the top right where the German version has a filler panel. The Panasonic logos are in different positions. The English version uses 8-pin "RJ-45" jacks. The German version uses narrower "RJ-11" jacks. The German version has jack labels printed in English. The English version has jack labels printed in German. NO, we're just kidding. The English version doesn't have labels near most of the jacks. Apparently, you have to provide your own.
The KX-T7235 phone has been made with three different combinations of handsets and cords in different countries. This is a Panasonic "DBS" phone, made in the USA and sold worldwide. The US DBS operation was closed in 2003. Some models are still made in Japan, and distributed in the US by an independent company. Here's a European KX-TD816 with an ISDN module.  This ISDN module is available in Germany. These three phones are all the KX-T7055. The two on the bottom were sold in the US. The 7055 at the top, with J-type handset and contrasting cord, was sold in other countries.	The KX-T7500 series digital phones are available in Germany and Spain and other countries, and are used with Euro-ISDN versions of the KX-TD series control units.    Here's an analog KX-T7330 display phone and a KX-T7340 DSS/BLF. The 7340 was available in lots of countries, but not the USA. 7300 series phones sold in the USA had white HOLD buttons; they're orange in other countries. The series was discontinued in the USA after just a few years. This is a  "DECT" cordless handset from Britain. It was modified to become the KX-T7885 in the US. This is a KX-TD412, sold in Denmark KX-TD612E is designed for the UK. It connects to three ISDN lines, and can handle three door intercoms and 12 phones. The KX-T206 is an analog control unit, available in lots of countries, but not the US. Panasonic puts many different products in this same box.	The phone on the left is the KX-TD7690, sold in Canada and the US. The similar KX-TD7590 is sold in other countries. The no-display KX-TG2500 above was available in blue in Canada, but not in the US. On this side of the big border, we had the blue 2550 (below), which was not sold in Canada. There was also a blue 2570, apparently sold only at Circuit City. The German KX-TD408 is pretty much the same as the American KX-TD816. This is a KX-TD208, available in Britain, Germany,  Spain, and probably other countries. In the USA, this is the KX-TA624. In Russia, it's the KX-TA308RU or KX-TA616RU. In Latin America, it's the KX-TA308/616. The KX-TA308 sold in the USA is not the same as the KX-TA308 sold in other countries.

• In some countries, the KX-T phones come with "wide" J-type handsets and contrasting-color handset cords, and in some places they have fat handsets with matching cords. Most US and Canadian phones have "K"-style handsets and matching cords. I'd love for someone to explain the cultural differences that determine these things

• KX-TD systems sold in Australia and in Europe, were able to be connected directly to ISDN lines long before American systems could. 

• The KX-TD412 system sold in Denmark can handle 4 ISDN lines, with up to 4 digital and 8 analog phones.

• Britain has a digital cordless phone system ("DECT"), operating in the 1880-1900MHz range. Multiple DECT handsets can be connected to the same system. Users can make and receive internal and external calls from anywhere on the premises (within range of any of the strategically positioned base stations). 

• Germany has an ISDN-ready KX-TD208, and a KX-TD408, in addition to the KX-TD1232 sold elsewhere.

• The KX-TD208 is also sold in the U.K. It comes configured with one ISDN2 line (2 channels) to connect directly to digital lines. Two additional ISDN2 channels can be connected, for direct connection to devices such as video telephones, Group 4 facsimile machines and ISDN2 compatible high-speed modems, to ensure speedy and efficient data transfer. It also enables faster connection to the Internet, which offers its own vast range of information and services. MSN (Multiple Subscriber Numbering) and DDI (Direct Dialing In). Each KX-TD extension is able to be called easily by having its own direct dial telephone number.

• A small analog KX-T206 is sold in Europe and Latin America and possibly other areas, but not in North America. It can handle two lines and six phones, with two intercom paths; and has some advanced features like fax detection and DISA that were adapted for the new KX-TD308. 

• There are at least two versions. KX-T206SBX has one hybrid port and five single-line telephone ports. KX-T206HBX has six hybrid ports. A hybrid port accepts either a proprietary or single-line telephone. KX-T206SBX does not have a Door Opener Interface.  Intercoms are numbered starting with 21, like the XDPs on the D308. Connections for phones and door phone are with "DDK" jacks. I don't know what they are.

• The KX-T96 was the forerunner of the KX-T336. As mentioned above, the US Government put a big punitive tariff on small phone systems from Japan, so KME moved some production to the UK to avoid the tariff. Also, the 96 was upgraded to the 336, so that it would no longer be considered a small system, and could escape the tariff even if made in Japan. Most of the circuit modules for the 336 have part numbers starting with "96," revealing their heritage. The 96 was sold in many countries (Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand, etc.), where there was no protective tariff. I think it has been discontinued. The KX-TD500 is sold in several versions around the world. Outside the US, it's similar to the old KX-T336. The US version is more like a big KX-TD1232.

The KX-T7300 series of analog multi-line phones was available for several years in several countries, before it came to the US. The KX-T7320 is a non-display speakerphone with 12 CO buttons. The KX-T7330 is a display speakerphone with 12 CO buttons. The KX-T7350 is a non-display monitor phone with 12 CO buttons. The KX-T7310 is a single-line phone with message/ringing lamp. The KX-T7315 is a single-line speakerphone with message/ringing lamp.

• The Latin-American KX-TA308-616 is almost identical to the American KX-TA624.

• There are often many variations of Panasonic phone products for different countries, with different features and different firmware, and different programming software. I've learned of at least two dozen versions of the KX-TD1232.

• For the US market, KX-TD digital phones come in all-cardboard cartons, but KX-T7000 series analog phones were packed in Styrofoam inserts inside cardboard cartons. Anyone know why?

• A number of modules for the digital systems are unavailable in the US, including the KX-TD174 for 16 single-line phones. 

Footnotes in KX-T history

• KX-T7900 four-line 900MHz cordless was announced in September, 1993, but apparently never marketed. Up to eight of the handsets were supposed to work with the KX-T336900 interface unit, which connected to the phone system control unit. The 7900 was a flip-phone design, with a 16-character LCD display.

• The original design for the KX-T7220 non-display digital speaker phone had 12 programmable buttons. When the phone was marketed, it had 24 buttons, like the 7230.

• The eXtra Device Port  was originally called the Multi-Access Port.

• KX-T2140 was the first KX-T "system" phone. It was a modified version of the KX-T2220 (Panasonic's first generation feature phone, from around 1987) with some of the one-touch dialing buttons dedicated to system features. It was used with the original KX-T616 control unit -- a PBX, rather than a hybrid like the later models.

• KX-T30825 was a transitional phone, sold for a short period around 1990 at the same time as the first generation of hybrid phones. It had a more modern styling, like VA-series phones of that period and later 7000 series phones.

• KX-T123235 was a rare black version of the KX-T123230 that had off-hook call announce. You might expect that the black version of the KX-T61630 would be the 61635. NOPE, its the KX-T61631.  We have one in the AbleComm  Museum.

KX-T7051  was a single-line phone with message-waiting lamp, produced for the 336 system around 1994. After a long search, we got two for the museum. We'll sell one for your museum.

When I find out more, you'll see it here
Michael N. Marcus, AbleComm Chief Geek

. Reader contributions are welcome.

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