SK Telecom hoping to import BlackBerry to Korea

David Gonzales  By on 13 May 08

Though not all of our Asian brethren could be included in the first round of Asian carriers getting official iPhone lovin’ in the following months, there are still, of course, other solutions they can look to with regards to their mobile telephony. That’s what SK Telecom, Korea’s largest telecom service provider, is trying to keep in mind by hoping to jump in on the Blackberry bandwagon.

This was revealed by a senior official at Korea Communications Commission on Monday by saying that SK Telecom is currently discussing plans to import the Blackberry with related government agencies.

RIM’s proprietary wireless Internet platform for the BlackBerry is the biggest hurdle in importing it to Korea, since phones in Korea should be using the Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability or WIPI. But by classifying the BlackBerry as a PDA and not a cellphone, the problem is easily solved.

BlackBerry smartphone on SK Telecom

But of course, that’s not the only thing that SK Telecom and other Korean operators should worry about, and that’s why they are still working on it with the local government, as well as other local sectors.

The currently reigning king of mobiles in Korea are Samsung and LG, and both don’t seem to be shaken by the possibility of BlackBerry coming to Korea. A comment coming from a Samsung Electronics official belittles the BlackBerry’s “large size and small keypad buttons.”

However it would be interesting to see what strategy LG and Samsung will play once the BlackBerry finally arrives for real. And of course, there’s also a little something called the iPhone.

Via Chosun

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