The Gigaset 2402 is designed to support up to eight cordless handsets for so-called SOHO (small office/small home) environments. One handset is included with the base; additional units can be purchased separately.There's no charging cradle on the featureless base; instead, each handset rests in its own charging cradle that can be plugged in anywhere in your home or office where you need a phone.Each extension handset has its own extension number, and you can dial one handset from another for in-house conferencing. Since the base supports two incoming phone lines, you can also conference with outside parties.The handsets, shaped more like cell phones than home phones, can access all the of the system's sophisticated functions. For users who subscribe to Call Waiting Caller through their phone company, each handset can display incoming call information on a 3-line backlit LCD screen. Each phone can store 120 phone numbers, and phone directories from individual handsets on the system can be shared.The Gigaset system operates in the 2.4 GHz range. This is not, however, the same 2.4 GHz technology as the Panasonic 2.4 GHz GigaRange phones. Siemens' 2.4 GHz system is based on a European standard called Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DCET), which stresses clarity and security over distance. --SW