China Telecom and RIM launch BlackBerry Services for Chinese SMEs

Companies introduce BlackBerry Internet Service for small business customers, enabling users to send and receive email from up to 10 supported work and personal email accounts.

China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom) and Research In Motion (RIM) on Monday announced plans to launch BlackBerry® services for small businesses in China. In addition, the companies are launching the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650 smartphone.

Beginning May 17, China Telecom will offer BlackBerry® Internet Service for small business customers from RMB89 per month. BlackBerry Internet Service enables users to send and receive email from up to 10 supported work and personal email accounts. Additionally, the service will support BBM™ and various Instant Messaging services, which help users stay easily connected. BlackBerry Internet Service can also support a wide range of third-party applications spanning business productivity to personal entertainment.

China Telecom will also offer BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express, a free software downloaded from RIM that provides small businesses and SOHOs advanced management and security features with no additional software or per user licensing fees.

BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone
The BlackBerry Bold 9650 from China Telecom is a global smartphone for CDMA customers who want to stay connected, productive and entertained while on-the-go. It supports 3G networks and has a full-QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad and built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g), which enables users to talk on the phone while browsing the web or sending and receiving email. The BlackBerry Bold 9650 includes 512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB microSDHC cards for storage. A 2 GB card is included.

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 fuses form and function in a striking design and, in addition to providing premium phone and multimedia features, it delivers the industry’s leading mobile solution for email, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and social networking.

Commenting on the launch, Liang Zhi Ping, General Manager, Government and Enterprise, Customer Department, China Telecommunications Corporation said, “The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone, together with the new affordable BlackBerry service plan from China Telecom, and BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express from RIM offer small businesses a one-stop integrated solution to meet their mobility needs, and helps them maintain their competitive edge.”

Gregory Shea, Managing Director of China, Research In Motion, said, “RIM is very pleased to launch the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone and extend BlackBerry services to small business in China. With their extensive market reach and flexible service offerings, we believe small businesses will be well served by China Telecom.”