By Robbie Pleasant, TMCnet Contributor

BlackBerry (News - Alert) 10 is on its way, and the Internet is abuzz with rumors and guesswork. Recently, word is that the BlackBerry 10 platform will support VoIP, leading many developers of VoIP applications to get to work on versions of their applications for the upcoming device.

BlackBerry hasn’t exactly been the best-selling smartphone, lagging behind the iPhone and Android, and with the Windows Phone (News - Alert) slowly catching up. In order to compete, it needs to up the ante, and it’s doing so with VoIP.

For starters, BlackBerry has validated the open source embedded SIP protocol stack, PJSIP. It helps support VoIP applications on various platforms, now including BlackBerry 10, so developers can adjust their applications for BlackBerry use in 10 minutes flat.

Furthermore, BlackBerry 10 phones will support Long Term Evolution (LTE (News - Alert)) as well. Along with its ability to work as VoIP phones, it provides plenty of incentive for buyers looking for a new smartphone to check it out. This also means that BlackBerry 10 phones will be able to be used as VoIP extensions on a company’s virtual PBX (News - Alert), saving on long distance phone calls in exchange for data costs.

Naturally, should the VoIP additions to BlackBerry prove a boon, other smartphones will follow suit. Before then, though, this might be the addition that BlackBerry needs to get back in the game and provide serious competition. It’s a gamble, one that bodes quite nicely for the technology, but still a risk for the business.