Asiacell, the first and largest private Iraqi telecom provider, recently launched the BlackBerry solution service in Iraq.

The service was launched in collaboration with Emitac Mobile Solutions (EMS), a Dubai-based service provider and Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian developer of the BlackBerry smartphone.

The BlackBerry service offers Asiacell’s prepaid and postpaid subscribers an array of solutions including the Blackberry Internet Service (BIS), which allows subscribers to access and automatically receive emails on ten personal email accounts on platforms like Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! from their BlackBerry handsets.

The service also provides subscribers with Internet access that enables them to browse social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Myspace, as well as to surf the web freely.  Asiacell’s BlackBerry service also offers business customers BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES+) services, giving them access to their corporate emails.

BES is a software that tightly integrates with IBM Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange to provide customers with secure, push-based, wireless access to their business emails and other corporate data.

It also provides business customers with numerous business and lifestyle applications such as calendars, contacts and multimedia services that are supported by advanced security and IT policy controls.

“Our decision to launch the BlackBerry service for our subscribers in all 18 Iraqi provinces shows that we are dedicated to meeting the Iraqi telecom market’s evolving needs and presenting advanced telecom services through cutting-edge wireless technologies,” said Dr Diar Ahmed, CEO of Asiacell.

“This service will allow our prepaid and postpaid subscribers to stay connected to friends and family regardless of their location, and will offer Asiacell’s corporate clients the opportunity to improve their productivity and better facilitate their daily communications and operations.”

Babar Khan, CEO of EMS, said: “This is an exciting time for the Iraqi telecommunications industry and we firmly believe that the BlackBerry service on Asiacell’s network will be an excellent opportunity for the country’s growth and development. Our strong partnerships with Asiacell and RIM will help to achieve this.”

“BlackBerry smartphones provide a uniquely powerful and user-friendly mobile experience for people who want to stay connected, productive and entertained while on the go,” said Sandeep Saihgal, managing director, Middle East for RIM.

“We are very pleased to work with EMS and Asiacell to support customers in Iraq,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service