Research in Motion (RIM), Alcatel-Lucent (News - Alert) and du are teaming up to launch a BlackBerry solution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 

Customers of du, an integrated telecom service provider in the UAE, will now be able to use BlackBerry (News - Alert) smartphones to access e-mail, browse the Web, make phone calls, send and receive text and picture messages, in addition to accessing a wide variety of business and leisure applications.

 

Osman Sultan, CEO at du, said, “We selected BlackBerry smartphones because they provide the leading wireless e-mail solution used by millions of customers around the world.”

 

He added that launching the BlackBerry solution is an integral step toward enriching du’s portfolio of integrated communication solutions to meet market needs in the UAE.

 

Based on its distribution agreement with RIM, Alcatel-Lucent will provide du with the end-to-end implementation, integration, launch and support services for delivering the BlackBerry solution to the UAE market.

 

Officials at du said that with Alcatel-Lucent managing integration and deployment, the company can focus on delivering customer facing services, enabling the operator to meet market demand.

 

“Our agreement with RIM further reinforces Alcatel-Lucent’s ability to leverage our global strengths and local presence to deliver enterprise managed communications and value-added services, enabling the operator to quickly meet market demand,” said Frederic Rose, president of activities in Europe, Africa and Asia at Alcatel-Lucent.

 

He also said that as a result, du customers will enjoy the “freedom and flexibility” of the BlackBerry solution for staying connected to communications and information whenever they wish.

 

“Together with Alcatel-Lucent, we are pleased to extend the availability of the BlackBerry solution to du customers,” said Charmaine Eggberry, vice president and managing Director at RIM’s Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) division. “The BlackBerry solution is a great choice for organizations and individuals that strive to be more productive, flexible, and ultimately more successful in work and life.”

 

Initially, du will offer BlackBerry Curve 8300, BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8700g and BlackBerry Pearl 8100 smartphones, as well as BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service.