RIM has been negotiating for the right to do business in China for several years and according to published reports is poised to announce a deal with China Mobile, a Hong-Kong based carrier with 284 million subscribers, compared with China Unicom's 121 million.

Canada's RIM this year plans to launch its iconic BlackBerry wireless e-mail device in China, where it will go toe-to-toe with China Unicom, the state-run telecommunications company.

RIM, which in February agreed to pay a US$612.5 million settlement with U.S. holding company NTP, has confirmed it's on track to introduce the BlackBerry in China by the middle of the year. Not to be outdone, China Unicom has launched its own BlackBerry-like wireless e-mail service.

Here's where it gets weird. China Unicom's service is not only patterned after the BlackBerry, but its name is inspired by the BlackBerry as well. China Unicom's Redberry brand not only continues the already familiar 'BlackBerry' image and name, it also fully reflects the symbolic meaning of China Unicom's new red corporate logo.

The technology behind the Redberry service comes from a Beijing-based outfit called Facio Software, which sells a software product it calls Uni Pushmail.

But RIM doesn't consider the Redberry service much of a threat.

Analysts aren't paying much attention to the prospect of a RIM rival in the vast Chinese wireless market. "The reality is that there are already a lot of competitors out there, and they're trying to set up their own solution," says James Faucette, who covers RIM for Pacific Crest Securities in Portland, Ore.

Source:佚名