Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Beeline and RIM Launch the BlackBerry 8800 Smartphone in Russia

Moscow, Russia and Waterloo, ON. - The VimpelCom Group (NYSE: VIP) (Beeline brand) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced the launch of the BlackBerry® 8800 smartphone for corporate Beeline subscribers in Russia.

“The BlackBerry 8800, featuring a stylish design and full QWERTY keyboard with English-Russian support, is a highly anticipated smartphone for our enterprise customers. Beeline is pleased to expand the range of BlackBerry smartphones in response to the needs of Russian business users,” said Kent McNeley, Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer of VimpelCom.

The sleek and elegant BlackBerry 8800 smartphone is a powerful communications tool that includes premium phone features and advanced email and messaging capabilities. It also includes a full-featured Internet browser, organizer and media player with support for audio and video playback in a variety of formats, as well as support for a wide variety of other mobile applications.

The highly tactile QWERTY keyboard supports both English and Russian and the handset’s intuitive trackball helps users easily navigate applications. The high resolution LCD display features light sensing technology that automatically adjusts backlighting and presents information and graphics in vivid color. The BlackBerry 8800 smartphone also features built-in GPS and an expandable memory slot.

Don Morrison, Chief Operating Officer at RIM added, “The BlackBerry solution has become popular with corporate customers around the world based on its unique ability to help organizations and individuals enhance communications, flexibility and productivity. We are delighted to work with Beeline and the VimpelCom group to help customers achieve these benefits and to introduce the BlackBerry 8800 in Russia.”

About VimpelCom Group
The VimpelCom Group includes companies operating in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia. The VimpelCom Group's GSM and 3G license portfolio covers a territory with a population of about 250 million. This includes the entire territories of Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia and Armenia. VimpelCom was the first Russian company to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). VimpelCom's ADSs are listed on the NYSE under the symbol "VIP".
www.beeline.ru

About Research in Motion (RIM)
Research in Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM's portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.BlackBerry.com

No comments:

Post a Comment