State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan

Last but not least, comes Zong with it BlackBerry Solution in Pakistan. All other operators are already offering this service making competition tough for Zong. Recently Warid came up with its Smart Bundle offer to attract in users for the BlackBerry, Zong also will have to do more than just the launch. For now, the official PR has the details.

ZONG, the first international brand of China Mobile, Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the launch of the BlackBerry® solution in Pakistan. Using BlackBerry® smartphones, ZONG customers will be able to wirelessly send and receive emails, make phone calls, browse the Internet, send text messages and access a wide range of corporate and lifestyle applications while on the move.

Initially, ZONG is offering the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 and BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphones and a choice of BlackBerry® Internet Service or BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. The BlackBerry solution will be available immediately with ZONG’s postpaid packages, providing a range of monthly packages tailored to meet customers’ needs.

Under the terms of a distribution agreement with RIM, Alcatel-Lucent will leverage its global integration services and strong local presence in the region to provide ZONG with end-to-end implementation, launch, delivery and support services for the BlackBerry solution in the Pakistani market. Alcatel-Lucent’s experience in managing the delivery, technology integration and deployment of the BlackBerry solution will enable ZONG to focus on providing the requisite customer services to match anticipated market demand.

“Zong is committed to providing innovative services and expanding its portfolio of advanced telecommunications solutions,” said Salman Wassay, Head of Marketing, ZONG. “There is increasing demand among our subscribers in both the enterprise and consumer markets to have remote access to their email and calendar information and the launch of the BlackBerry solution exemplifies our commitment to consistently meet our customers’ needs. ZONG’s customers can now enjoy the efficiency gains and security benefits of the BlackBerry solution already known to millions of subscribers across the world.”

“This is a dynamic time for carriers such as ZONG who are eager to take advantage of market opportunities to deliver converged applications and devices to expand and enrich their service portfolio,” said Nicolas Bouverot, Head of Alcatel-Lucent, Middle East “By providing end-to-end solutions and integration services, Alcatel-Lucent is enabling operators in high-growth economies to efficiently roll-out value-added services to their subscriber base.”

The BlackBerry Curve is a sleek full-QWERTY smartphone that feels comfortable for either one-handed or two-handed use. Its large, striking 2.4 inch HVGA+ display (480×360 pixels) projects vivid color and makes information easy to read. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 provides global connectivity support and helps people stay connected and find their way with built-in Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g) and GPS.

“We are pleased to work with Alcatel-Lucent and Zong to deploy the BlackBerry solution in Pakistan. The BlackBerry solution continues to lead the industry in providing an optimized and empowering mobile experience for organizations and individuals who want to make the most of their time,” said Mark Guibert, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, RIM.

ZONG is offering BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for corporate clients, a solution that tightly integrates with IBM Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data.

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone is a communications and multimedia powerhouse. It supports tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks around the world and comes with integrated GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g). It also features a rich set of multimedia capabilities, including a 2 megapixel camera with video recording and an advanced media player for music, videos and pictures.