Actuality February 29, 2008

Federal Security Service (FSS) of the Russian Federation issued the cellular operators MTS and VimpelCom permission for permanent operation

of Blackberry mail service. This year the companies are able to give users 16 000 cryptographic smartphones.

Experts consider that the main users of Blackberry will become the Russian offices of the western companies – the

Russians prefer local products for information defense.

The fact of receipt of FSS permissions for permanent operation of Blackberry – systems of cellular email in which a message is transferred to smartphone ciphered – confirmed the press-services of MTS and VimpelCom. MTS press secretary Irina Osadchaya specified, that within the year the company is permitted to import 7800 Blackberry devices of models 8100 Pearl, 8300 Curve, 8700g and 8800.

VimpelCom received approximately the same quota, however, will import only one model – 8700g.

Cost of equipment and services of VimpelCom and MTS are not exposed.

For example, in Ukraine, where MTS provides Blackberry service, smartphone (it is produced by the Canadian company Research in Motion) costs about $300. Blackberry mail service costs $8300 (set in the office of the corporate client). User fee is $60 a month.

MTS and VimpelCom wanted to start Blackberry service already in 2005. FSS was against.

In opinion of its representatives, the standard of cryptoprotection and location of servers in

the offices of users did not provide the special services the opportunity to check the email.

According to the results of negotiations with operators at the end of the last year FSS gave the go to the import of the limited consignment of Blackberry on that terms that in a year smartphones should be disconnected. Now th is temporal restriction

is removed.

The participant of negotiations with FSB in relation to the fate of Blackberry told on condition of anonymity that information about the location of servers' installation would be passed to the special service.

Thus, Blackberry clients should admit FSS employees to the servers if needed. In MTS and VimpelCom did not give any comments.

Experts treat the prospects of Blackberry sales in Russia with restraint. “Now Blackberry is already not the unique secured mail platform, this market becomes more and more competitive”, says Dmitry Rodionov, the analyst of Finam Investment Company. “The analogical secured solutions give Nokia and Palm now, Samsung and HP plan to lead to the market own platforms this year”. The analyst of ACM-consulting Anton Pogrebinsky considers that the main buyers of Blackberry in Russia will be the offices of the western companies that follow the corporate standards. “From the part of the Russian companies the demand will be very moderate”.

With his arguments agrees the deputy director general of Nvision Group Company for marketing Sergey Golovin: “BlackBerry will be in demand by the western companies mainly – the Russian companies prefer to use alternative developments, including Russian ones”. According to Mr.

Golovin, Blackberry is mainly the PR product: “In fact, similar security level is provided by the correctly customized and served corporate mail server and standard smartphones of employees”.