Research In Motion (RIM) announced on Tuesday that BlackBerry(R) Mobile Voice System (MVS) 5.1 now supports OpenScape Voice V6 from Siemens Enterprise Communications. The solution allows customers to access desk phone functionality on their BlackBerry(R) smartphone.

BlackBerry MVS, together with OpenScape Voice, can be used to provide a comprehensive Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solution for BlackBerry smartphone users.

Siemens Enterprise Communications customers will now be able to place and receive desk phone calls on their BlackBerry smartphones and enjoy the convenience of single number reach, extension dialing and phone features such as hold, transfer and ad hoc conferencing.

Alan Panezic, VP, Enterprise Product Management & Marketing at RIM, said, "Mobile and flexible working is now commonplace around the world and BlackBerry MVS gives companies the means to further leverage their corporate phone system and better support employees while they are away from their desks. Giving users a wireless extension of the corporate phone system via their BlackBerry smartphones can improve workforce productivity, save costs on long-distance and international roaming charges and reduce employee cell minute usage by allowing Wi-Fi-based phone calls from work, public hotspots and at home."

Rick Puskar, Senior Vice President, Global Portfolio Management at Siemens Enterprise Communications, said, "Siemens Enterprise Communications is pleased to add BlackBerry MVS support to our rich OpenScape UC portfolio. Mobility continues to be an area of innovation for us, and BlackBerry MVS will help our joint customers increase their mobile productivity and simultaneously drive overall cost-efficiencies. This solution provides a simplified communications experience which ultimately benefits both IT departments and their end users."