It’s not just cheap calls that make VoIP so attractive to business.

A key benefit of VoIP solutions, according to SynergyPlus, a business VoIP solutions provider, is that it provides the foundation for a unified communication solution. Studies say employees want integrated communication.

Rrecent research validates the argument presented by SynergyPlus. Ninety seven percent of users of unified communications claim UC has increased their productivity. Additionally, the research corroborated the fact that business VoIP solutions, when combined with otherUnified Communications tools, improved staff engagement, with 79 percent of users feeling better engaged in their work.

The first tri-mode international calling application for mobile smartphones has been released, according to Net2Phone, a global provider of voice over data network solutions.

The company announced the release of its Mobitalker, which allows users to choose between three different call types, depending on their preferences and locations.

Enabling low cost international calls using VoIP or traditional switched telephony from every country worldwide at significant savings over the local mobile service providers, the Mobitalker app  ”is at the leading edge of mobile telephony applications” said Jonah Fink, Senior Vice President of Net2Phone, in a release.

“With smartphone adoption exploding worldwide, there is an almost endless pool of end users who will benefit from Mobitalker.”

Mobitalker is available for the iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android, and Symbian (Nokia) operating systems. Blackberry and Windows Mobile is expected to arrive shortly.

360networks has announced the launch of a new customer portal called 360connect.

360connect, according to company officials, helps customers manage VoIP-related interactions with 360networks, directly from the desktop. The VoIP solutions provider also plans to provide an option to integrate applications into 360networks’s ordering and provisioning services via an API.

The portal includes reserving and activating telephone numbers, placing directory listings orders, reviewing inventory, submitting and monitoring trouble tickets, managing local number portability (LNP) requests and other features.

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our customers’ experience,” said Nick Reifschneider, VoIP product director for 360networks, in a statement.

“360connect makes it easier than ever to do business with 360networks, streamlining administrative functions while still providing the responsive service our customers have come to expect.”