BlackBerry heading to Mainland China

Since RIM has been fighting BlackBerry knockoffs coming out of China anyway, it might as well take the battle to the counterfeiter’s home turf. RIM is set to launch the BlackBerry in mainland China soon. They have partnered with China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest mobile provider by number of subscribers. They have two-thirds of the Chinese market. No specific date has been set yet, but it has to be a relief that it is coming soon for RIM. They have been trying to break into the massive market for three years. They hope to be rolling by early in the fall with the 7130 and 8700 handsets.

RIM is unsure of how big their market will be, but with 400 million users in China, even a single percentage of the market is substantial. The company also discounts the RedBerry, the knockoff that surfaced last month. The company providing it has a much smaller market share and the product is inferior, according to RIM.