Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, agreed to partner with Digital China Holdings to sell BlackBerrys in China, Bloomberg reported. RIM will use Digital China’s market knowledge to broaden its reach in the world’s largest mobile phone market. RIM sought the deal to counter the entrance of the Apple iPhone into China via an agreement with China Unicom in October. At present RIM only sells its older 8700 model in China through China Mobile, although other models are compatible with China Mobile’s service protocol. RIM did not disclose the terms of the agreement. According to RIM’s statement, Hong Kong-based Digital China has 19 regional mobile phone distribution centers throughout the mainland and 8,300 employees. RIM’s shares rose 2.6% to US$60.28 on the NASDAQ exchange and have gained 49% so far this year.
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