Mitel Celebrates a Legacy of Innovation at 50 Years

Mitel is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary this month. Since its founding in 1973, the company has been at the forefront of innovation in the communications industry, helping organizations worldwide connect and collaborate with ease.

Founded in Ottawa, Canada, by Sir Terry Matthews and Michael Cowpland, Mitel has evolved into a global leader in unified communications (UC) over the past five decades, today serving more than 35 million users in over 100 countries.

Through its commitment to excellence and a customer-centric approach, the company has earned a reputation for delivering world-class UC solutions that support users throughout the communications lifecycle.

“With the rapid pace of change in today’s business world – especially when it comes to technology – it is an impressive accomplishment to be celebrating 50 years with our customers, partners, and employees,” said Tarun Loomba, president and CEO of Mitel.

“Our success is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and ingenuity of our team, and we are grateful for the trust and support of our customers and partners over the years. Mitel’s future is as bright as ever, and we are deeply focused on unlocking new opportunities and driving growth.”

“I am thrilled to join the members of the Mitel family – from past and present employees to partners and customers from around the world – in celebrating this 50th anniversary,” said Sir Terry Matthews, co-founder of Mitel and chairman of Wesley Clover International.

“From those early days, Mitel focused on listening to the clients and using innovation to make communications easier for businesses everywhere.

It is evident that this is still the case and Mitel continues to provide organizations with best-in-class flexibility and choice as a global unified communications leader.”

Mitel’s rich history of innovation dates back to its earliest days when Matthews and Cowpland developed high-tech printed circuit boards for telephone switches and introduced the first-ever software-driven PBX.

Over the years, Mitel has been instrumental in driving computer telephony integration, including through its work on the Universal Serial Bus (USB) specification in the 1990s. More recently, Mitel was the first to virtualize UC through a groundbreaking partnership with VMware.

Today, Mitel’s devotion to advancing communications technology continues to bring innovative products to market.

From IP desktop phones designed for the realities of hybrid work to integrating next-generation technologies into business processes through open APIs, Mitel provides dependable and user-friendly communication solutions to organizations of all sizes, whether on-premise, in the cloud, or in hybrid deployment models.

“Over the past 50 years, Mitel has gone through many changes, as has the communications industry, but it remains true to its core as the company focuses on choice and flexibility for customers, vertical solutions, and customer lifecycle management,” said Blair Pleasant, president & principal analyst of COMMfusion LLC & BCStrategies.

“With more and more unified communications (UC) vendors offering only one path to the cloud – through the public cloud – Mitel remains consistent in its approach, offering choices and options.”

“The Mitel User Group (MUG) is honored to celebrate Mitel’s journey and this milestone event,” said Amy Biedenharn, staff director of the Mitel User Group.

“I’ve seen first-hand the passion that Mitel offers customers each and every day. From expert speakers, to 1:1 conversation, to participating in live events, Mitel shows up and makes things happen. Their team genuinely invests in hearing the voice of the customers and advancing user success.

As the MUG community celebrates a milestone of our own by surpassing 10,000+ members, we are proud to walk alongside Mitel as they empower connections and keep shaping the future of communication. Happy Birthday, Mitel!”