MoD gets BlackBerrys from BT

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BT is set to rollout BlackBerrys to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), it was announced at the Defence Systems and Equipment International exhibition in London yesterday.

The smartphones will allow military personnel as well as civil servants and industry partners to keep in touch securely, BT said.

Colonel David Jones, Defence Fixed Network, MOD, said: "I am really pleased to see this service will bring genuine benefit to the working lives of MOD people. Being able to see and respond to time sensitive information on the move is critical to the defence staff of today."

Research in Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Enterprise Server is the only mobile data server approved for use by the MoD and is accredited by the Communications and Electronics Security Group for handling data at the Restricted level, BT said in a statement.

BT cited the ability to remotely shutdown and wipe clean any smartphone which has been lost or stolen as a key aspect for security.

Charmaine Eggberry, vice president at RIM, said: "Security is built into the heart of the BlackBerry solution and it is trusted by governments and organisations around the world to provide access to the information and people needed to make successful decisions."

MoD departments will have the choice of either the BlackBerry 8700v or the BlackBerry 8707v.

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