Research In Motion is to release a version of its Mobile Voice System Server product for Cisco's Unified Communications Manager, the Canadian handset manufacturer announced on Monday.
Mobile Voice System (MVS), which RIM originally brought out in 2007, turns the BlackBerry smartphone into an extension of the corporate PBX. Its customisation for Cisco's unified communications (UC) system marks the first time it has been tailored to any one particular vendor's PBX.
One feature of the new product is the ability to have up to four devices ring at once, including BlackBerry smartphones and Cisco Unified IP phones. It will also be possible to dial out from a RIM smartphone using either the BlackBerry number or the enterprise line, and to move a call from the handset to a Cisco Unified IP phone without breaking the session.
As a unified-communications system, it provides one contactable corporate phone number, one caller ID and one voice mailbox, working across both the handset and the deskbound IP phone.
MVS Server for Cisco Unified Communications Manager lets IT administrators route calls from the BlackBerry smartphone through Cisco's UC manager, so as to minimise long-distance call charges.
The product requires BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1.5 or later, and Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.1 or later. A BlackBerry MVS client also needs to be installed on the smartphone itself, which must be running BlackBerry Device Software 4.5 or later.
According to a statement from RIM, the Cisco-specific version of MVS Server will be made available for North American customers in the third quarter of 2009. A UK release date has not yet been disclosed.
