LAS VEGAS—Verizon and Sprint are launching PBX extension software tweaked for BlackBerry devices, via Research In Motion subsidiary Ascendent Systems.
Ascendent’s Voice Mobility Suite makes BlackBerrys and other phones act as if users were directly connected to an office PBX system. Users can dial from the handheld device’s own phone number or from an office number. Calls placed with the office number can include features like caller ID, transfer, park and hold.
Verizon is selling this service with the name PBX Mobile Extension, said Verizon’s Stephanie Souder, product marketing manager for emerging technologies..
Similar features were available in May 2007, but were implemented in hardware; now the technology is available in an all-software version. Verizon announced its edition yesterday, Sprint’s will debut in the near future, and other carriers are expected to sign up throughout 2008, Ascendent said.
The software works on almost any phone but is tweaked to run best on the BlackBerry. Other features include a Web interface for end users to change options such as their availability status and ring order.