RIM, Nextel Push Location Services For BlackBerryRIM, Nextel Push Location Services For BlackBerry

Nextel and Research In Motion said Thursday they are teaming to encourage development of location-based services for the BlackBerry platform and devices.

The services will be aimed at enterprises and will include real-time driving directions, the ability to locate company assets and employees in the field and the ability to track fleet vehicles and to optimize routes, the companies said in a statement.

The companies said they will provide resources to help independent software developers create location-based applications that can then be added to BlackBerry devices and RIM's server-based software such as the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

"The need to better manage company assets, combined with what is an increasingly mobile workforce makes location based services an important business requirement," Danny Bowman, Nextel's vice president for wireless data services, said in a statement.