SKorean market finally to get a taste of BlackBerry

South Korea has opened its restricted telecommunications market slightly to allow the BlackBerry to go on sale but only to corporations and not individuals, officials said Wednesday.

Officials of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Korea Communications Commission said they would no longer apply software rules governing cellphones to the BlackBerry -- one of the world's most popular smartphones.

SK Telecom, the country'a largest telecom service provider, said it would offer BlackBerry services as early as August.

The BlackBerry integrates a cell phone with a personal digital assistant (PDA), allowing users to browse the Internet, use e-mail and make calls. It has proved a big hit with business executives worldwide.

But the Canadian manufacturers Research In Motion have been unable to provide services in Korea because of a rule that mobile phones must use a locally developed wireless software platform known as WIPI.

"There have been continuous requests from foreign investors that they should be able to use the BlackBerry here. This issue has been raised as a hindrance to investment," an official of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy told AFP.

"The government has decided to apply exemption provisions among the regulations to the BlackBerry, classifying it as a PDA used for business purposes," he said on condition of anonymity.

This enables BlackBerrys to be sold here without the local WIPI software but only to business firms, he said, adding individual users would continue to be barred from using them.

He said some government officials believe the software regulations are outdated because the distinction between PDAs, smartphones and mobile handsets have become blurred due to technical developments.

Apple's iPhone has been kept out of the South Korean market because of the regulations, which have led to local firms such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics dominating the field.

Global market leader Nokia does not sell its handsets in South Korea because of the software rule.

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