BlackBerry to Debut in China This Month

After eight years of attempting to break into the Chinese cellular market, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has received clearance to begin selling the popular devices in the country. Initially the company will focus on service to corporate customers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou among other large cities, with plans to expand later to other areas.

Representatives of RIM's Beijing office were quoted in the press as saying the company had already received 5,000 advance orders, and that the devices will be available by the end of this month. The move follows several other international expansions in the past few months. The Blackberry launched in Kenya at the end of June, and Kuwait in the end of May. RIM also launched the technology in Nigeria and Jordan earlier this year.