RIM Set To Launch BlackBerry In China

Research In Motion (RIM) said Thursday that it was preparing to launch its BlackBerry service in China in conjunction with Chinese cellular operator China Mobile.

The company said in a statement that it and China Mobile initially will provide nationwide support to multinational companies that operate in China in which users already have access to BlackBerry devices. It provided no details other than to say that service would launch "soon" and that China Mobile will provide SIM cards for those existing devices that support the BlackBerry service.

Later, China Mobile will sell both BlackBerry devices and BlackBerry Enterprise Server, RIM said.

"We are very excited to bring BlackBerry to China," Jim Balsillie, RIM's chairman and co-CEO, said in a statement. "The collaboration of China Mobile and RIM will extend the reach of BlackBerry to a large and important market."