SK Telecom and RIM Introduce the BlackBerry Solution in Korea
Seoul, Korea - SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the official launch of the BlackBerry® solution in Korea at an event held at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. SK Telecom will initially offer the BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphone and the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server software to business customers in Korea.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Seoul, Korea - SK Telecom ( NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670 ) and Research In Motion ( RIM ) ( Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM ) today announced the official launch of the BlackBerry® solution in Korea at an event held at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. SK Telecom will initially offer the BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphone and the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server software to business customers in Korea.
The BlackBerry® solution from RIM brings together smartphones, software and services and is currently being used by more than 20 million subscribers in over 150 markets around the world. The BlackBerry solution provides customers with powerful email, messaging, phone, organizer, web browsing and multimedia features, as well as access to thousands of mobile business and lifestyle applications. Mobile users will be able to enjoy the freedom and productivity benefits of the BlackBerry solution by staying connected to the people and information that matter most to them.
SK Telecom plans to begin providing the BlackBerry Bold smartphone to corporate customers by the end of this month. Domestic and multinational companies will be able to purchase this innovative smartphone at around 800,000 won ( excluding VAT ) and a special discount price of around 700,000 won with subsidy applied. An additional data plan for BlackBerry service is required, which will be priced at 26,000 won monthly on top of rate plans for voice and data.
With the introduction of the BlackBerry solution, SK Telecom is planning to penetrate the corporate market. SK Telecom expects the introduction of BlackBerry Bold smartphones in Korea will help empower its position in the enterprise mobility market, which represents tremendous growth potential and opportunities.
“SK Telecom anticipates that the new addition of the BlackBerry Bold and services will provide great convenience to our corporate customers and help expand Korea’s smartphone market. We expect BlackBerry smartphones to become a must-have item for businesspeople in Korea,” said Sung Min Ha, President of MNO Biz Company at SK Telecom.
“It is with great pleasure that RIM announces the launch of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone and BlackBerry Enterprise Server together with SK Telecom. The industry-leading BlackBerry platform offers Korean business customers substantial opportunities for communications and productivity enhancements and we expect it will be well received in the market,” said Norm Lo, Vice President of Asia Pacific at RIM.
About SK Telecom SK Telecom ( NYSE: SKM, KSE: 017670 ) is the top wireless communication provider in Korea, where it has more than 22 million subscribers taking up more than 50% of the total market. The company, established in 1984, reached KRW 11.3 trillion in revenue in 2007. SK telecom was the first to launch and commercialize CDMA, CDMA 2001x, CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA networks, and it currently provides cellular, wireless internet, mobile media, global roaming service and more. For more information, please visit www.sktelecom.com or email to press@sktelecom.com
About Research In Motion ( RIM ) Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market ( Nasdaq: RIMM ) and the Toronto Stock Exchange ( TSX: RIM ). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
Appendix
1. About BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the BlackBerry Bold Smartphone For corporate customers, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server software tightly integrates with IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® to provide 'push-based' wireless access to email and other corporate data. The BlackBerry solution is widely regarded as the "gold standard" for wireless enterprise deployments featuring advanced security and IT administration.
The BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphone from SK Telecom is designed to provide business customers with exceptional functionality and performance. It comes with a localized QWERTY keyboard, featuring Korean language input and display. The BlackBerry Bold supports tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks around the world and comes with integrated GPS and Wi-Fi®, as well as a rich set of multimedia capabilities.
The BlackBerry Bold smartphone has an HVGA ( 480x320 resolution at 217 ppi ) colour LCD display, that makes pictures vibrant and razor sharp, while videos play smoothly and web pages, documents, presentations and messages snap with exceptional quality and contrast. The BlackBerry Bold includes 128 MB Flash memory plus 1 GB on-board storage memory, as well as a microSD/SDHC memory card slot for up to 16GB of additional storage. It also features a camera with video recording capability, built-in flash and digital zoom.
From its lustrous black exterior, satin chrome finished frame and stylish leatherette backplate to its stunning display and sophisticated user interface, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone is a symbol of accomplishment and aspiration.
2. Specifications The BlackBerry® Bold™ Smartphone Size ( mm ) 114x66x14 Weight 133g Approximate Battery Life Up to 13.5 days ( standby time ) Up to 4.5 hours ( talk time ) Keyboard and Navigation System Full QWERTY keyboard with Korean characters Trackball navigation system LCD HVGA 480x320 at 217 ppi / supports over 65K colours Memory Expandable memory – support for microSD/SDHC cards 1GB onboard + 128 MB Flash Networks Wi-Fi/HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM Features Phone Email Messaging Organiser Internet Browser Camera Video Recording Media Player Built-in GPS Wi-Fi Support ( 802.11 a/b/g ) Corporate Data Access
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used herein, words such as “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions made by and information available to Research In Motion Limited. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, possible product defects and product liability, risks related to international sales and potential foreign currency exchange fluctuations, the initiation or outcome of litigation, acts or potential acts of terrorism, international conflicts, significant fluctuations of quarterly operating results, changes in Canadian and foreign laws and regulations, continued acceptance of RIM’s products, increased levels of competition, technological changes and the successful development of new products, dependence on third-party networks to provide services, dependence on intellectual property rights, and other risks and factors detailed from time to time in RIM’s periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and other regulatory authorities. RIM has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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This story was released on 2008-12-17. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.