Taiwan market: CHT to bring in BlackBerry smartphones and strengthen ties with Apple Tweet

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) plans to introduce RIM's BlackBerry smartphones into the Taiwan market in the first half of 2010, ending the current monopoly sales of the BlackBerry phones in the local market by Taiwan Mobile, according to CHT.

CHT will purchase the BlackBerry smartphones through a unified procurement project to be implemented by its strategic partner Vodafone in order to push down purchasing costs, CHT noted.

Additionally, CHT will also strengthen its cooperation with Apple to push the sale of iPhones. Taiwan-based channel operator Senao International, of which CHT holds a 30% share, will carry out the cooperation project, under which Senao and Apple will jointly set up four business outlets in Taiwan to promote iPhones, according to Senao.

Senao also plans to venture into the retail handset market in China through an equity investment in Funtalk China, the second largest handset retail channel in China currently, the company revealed.

The Nasdaq-listed Funtalk China plans to increase the number of its business outlets in China to 800 in 2010 from 500-600 currently, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

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