RIYADH, 11 September 2006 — Mobily, Saudi Arabia’s “innovative” telecommunications service provider, yesterday announced plans with Research In Motion (RIM) and Emitac Mobile Solutions (EMS) to launch BlackBerry across the Kingdom.
RIM is the developer of the proven and popular BlackBerry wireless platform.
EMS is a Dubai-based mobile systems integrator and provider of wireless handheld business solutions with offices in Saudi Arabia.
BlackBerry is a comprehensive wireless solution with advanced security features that provides mobile professionals with wireless access to email, phone, Internet, SMS, organizer and corporate data applications from a single device.
BlackBerry empowers the mobile workforce and can deliver a significant return on investment.
Mobily will be the first service provider to introduce the BlackBerry wireless platform in the KSA and EMS will assist Mobily in launching, delivering, supporting and selling the BlackBerry solution to its customers, a Mobily press release said.
Together, EMS and Mobily will address the Saudi market by delivering a suite of applications on BlackBerry to Mobily’s customers.
At launch, Mobily will offer BlackBerry Enterprise Server and the BlackBerry 8700g handset to corporate customers. The BlackBerry 8700g operates in conjunction with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which tightly integrates with Microsoft Exchange, Novell GroupWise and IBM Lotus Domino and works with existing enterprise systems, to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data.
The BlackBerry 8700g provides exceptional performance together with an intuitive user experience. Mobily customers will be able to use the quad-band handset on Mobily’s network in the Kingdom as well as more that 47 countries through more than 87 global roaming relationships. In fact, selected top Saudi corporates are already testing BlackBerry from Mobily in an exclusive pilot program.
“We’re very excited to launch BlackBerry from Mobily in the Kingdom. The market has definitely developed and is now ripe and ready to optimize all the BlackBerry offerings,” said Derek Roga, CEO, EMS.
“The Kingdom has always been the largest market for most companies doing business in the Gulf region. Businesses are in urgent need for solutions that address the fast paced life and competitive environment they operate in. We’re happy to be the first to bring BlackBerry to these customers.” said Khalid Al-Kaf, CEO, Mobily.
“With more than five million subscribers, BlackBerry continues to gain traction around the world. We are pleased to be extending the availability of BlackBerry into new markets and look forward to launching with Mobily and EMS in the Kingdom,” said Charmaine Eggberry, vice president and managing director of EMEA at Research in Motion.
The BlackBerry 8700g delivers fast performance for a range of mobile applications including web browsing, application use and attachment viewing. It features a bright, high resolution LCD screen that supports more than 65,000 colors and delivers vivid graphics. It also incorporates an intelligent light-sensing technology that automatically adjusts the screen and keyboard lighting to provide best lighting for in outdoor, indoor and dark environments.
The BlackBerry 8700g also includes premium phone features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing, call forwarding, speakerphone and Bluetooth support for hands-free use with car kits and wireless headsets.
