KT Powertel and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced BlackBerry for the first time in Korea. KT Powertel is launching the BlackBerry 7100i together with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for its corporate customers.

"KT Powertel is proud to be first to launch BlackBerry in Korea with RIM. BlackBerry is trusted by business and government organizations worldwide for its 'push-based', secure, manageable and scalable architecture. KT Powertel's customers will join over 5 million BlackBerry users who enjoy the productivity and connectivity benefits of BlackBerry," said Kim Woosik, CEO of KT Powertel. "BlackBerry is a strong addition to our offering of 'total business communications solutions'. KT Powertel will address the mobility needs of the corporate market in Korea by providing the world-leading BlackBerry communications platform leveraging KT Powertel's PTT network."

The BlackBerry 7100i's high-resolution color display is optimized for both indoor and outdoor viewing. It comes with 64 MB of flash memory, 8 MB of SRAM and a removable, rechargeable lithium battery. The BlackBerry 7100i also incorporates SureType keyboard technology. SureType combines a phone keypad and a QWERTY keyboard to fit elegantly within the size of a wireless phone form factor. Through an integrated keyboard and software system, SureType provides users with a familiar look and feel and enables them to dial phone numbers and type messages quickly, accurately and comfortably. The BlackBerry 7100i is also GPS-enabled to support location based applications and services.

For corporate customers, KT Powertel offers BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which tightly integrates with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus® Domino and Novell GroupWise and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based, wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data.