Cellular service provider Airtel on Wednesday extended BlackBerry wireless services to select Nokia and Sony Ericsson mobile handsets, extending the 'e-mail on phone' facility to a larger user base.
Customers can choose from these handsets, which are priced between Rs 27,500 to Rs 34,500, for accessing the BlackBerry service. This would enable a wider choice of devices with push-based BlackBerry e-mail services.
Through the introduction of 'BlackBerryConnectO' in India, Airtel will extend BlackBerry wireless services to the Nokia 9500 Communicator, Nokia 9300 smartphone and Sony Ericsson P910i.
Airtel's BlackBerry portfolio also includes the BlackBerry 7100 and BlackBerry 7290, Manoj Kohli, president, mobility, Bharti Televentures said in New Delhi.
The Nokia 9300 smartphone is available in India for Rs 29,000 while the Nokia 9500 Communicator is priced at Rs. 34,500. The Sony Ericsson P910i is available at Rs 27,995.
Airtel customers can subscribe to BlackBerry starting at Rs 499 per month. Alternatively, corporate and SME customers can choose the unlimited data monthly rental plan of Rs 899 per month. Professional users can choose the unlimited data monthly rental plan for Rs 1,099 per month.
With Airtel's introduction of BlackBerry Connect, users of the Nokia 9300 smartphone, Nokia 9500 Communicator and Sony Ericsson P910i can enjoy the advantages of push-based BlackBerry email delivery.
They will also benefit from intelligent features like wireless email synchronization and attachment viewing. Wireless calendar synchronization, remote address lookup, IT commands and policy enforcement.
Airtel has the exclusive distribution tie-up with Canada based Research In Motion, which owns the BlackBerry brand in India.
Kohli said, "Extending the BlackBerry service to a much wider range of new and stylish mobile phone handsets allows us to address the needs of a broader target group of mobile users, thereby further catalysing the adoption and usage of BlackBerry in India."
Norm Lo, vice president, Asia Pacific at Research In Motion said, now with BlackBerry Connect, Airtel customers can enjoy the benefits of BlackBerry connectivity together with a wider choice of leading handsets.
Chakrapani GK, country manager, enterprise solutions, Nokia India said, "The availability of BlackBerry services to Nokia's high-end enterprise devices marks the convergence of two eagerly anticipated, business focused wireless products.
By offering BlackBerry on our smartphones, we are offering a truly powerful tool, complete with voice and data solutions, both for business and individual users.
Sudhin Mathur, general manager, Sony Ericsson India Ltd, "We're adding BlackBerry to the palette of solutions we support with our P910i, thereby further expanding customer choice."
