RIM (Research in Motion) has revealed its expansion plans in Chinese mobile
market with the announcement of customized version of Blackberry devices that
will support the local 3G standard.
The world’s second largest smartphone
manufacturer behind HTC has signed an agreement with China Mobile to deliver
Blackberry devices supporting TD-SCDMA network.
The new devices targeted
at small companies and individual customers in China will start shipping
soon.
In an official statement, Jim Balsillie, the company's co-chief
executive said, “We view China as a strategic market. And China Mobile is by far
the largest mobile carrier in the world.”
Modified versions of Blackberry
devices will support China Mobile’s wireless and app services, but plans are on
to introduce Blackberry’s own “App World” by next year.
Currently, China
Mobile offers only one Blackberry model with packages ranging from 398 to 598
yuan per month.