BlackBerry to Debut in South Korea, Ahead of iPhone

Research in Motion, the producer of BlackBerry is set to launch the popular handset in South Korea, which has so far kept out the mobile e-mail devices despite Koreans being among the world's most avid internet users.

SK Telecom, South Korea's biggest mobile operator, said it had received government approval to offer BlackBerry services.

The Korean smartphone market is currently dominated by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

SK Telecom said that the BlackBerry may be available for customers by August, but did not confirm which models would be available, according to CNET Asia.

Korean carriers have so far been unable to import the Blackberry, as it uses RIM's proprietary wireless Internet platform. Cell phones in Korea are required to use the Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability (WIPI).

BlackBerry is however, available in Korea via KT Powertel, but is not supporting any Korean network and is different from the mobile network.

Apple's iPhone has also not been introduced to the Korean market because of the WIPI rule.

The import of the Blackberry is set to spark competition among telecom providers to dominate the smartphone market, and as a result, the wireless Internet market.