OTTAWA-BT Cellnet, the mobile business branch of the U.K.’s British Telecommunications plc’s wireless unit, has partnered with Research In Motion Ltd. to offer the wireless e-mail solution, BlackBerry, throughout the United Kingdom.
RIM’s BlackBerry, which was launched in North America in 1999, allows mobile professionals to access business e-mail accounts and to organize schedules and contacts with features like calendar, address book, task list, memo pad, calculator and alarm.
BlackBerry will run on the United Kingdom’s GPRS data network, which runs alongside the existing GSM network.
“The combination of BlackBerry and BT Cellnet’s GPRS network represents a landmark in the development of wireless e-mail solutions for the U.K. market,” said Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-chief executive officer of RIM. “With the growing trend toward mobile and flexible working, there is an increasing need for productivity tools such as BlackBerry.”
BMO Nesbitt Burns analyst Ray Sharma estimated the initial order is valued at about $70 million and emphasized his outperform rating on RIM’s stock.
The analyst anticipates very strong demand among potential corporate customers for the BlackBerry in Europe, to the point of competition for the first shipments, which RIM said will begin later this summer.
Following the news, shares in RIM rose 6.77 percent to $34.83 in trading Friday morning, but the company is still a long way from its 52-week high of $132.69.
