China Telecom, China’s third-largest mobile operator, has confirmed it is in discussions with Research In Motion to offer the BlackBerry, reports Reuters. “The two companies have just started preliminary contacts,” a China Telecom spokesman said, without providing more details. A RIM spokeswoman had no comment on the situation. China Telecom’s share price rose in response to the news but analysts warned that the device could have limited impact in the local market. “We view a potential tie-up of China Telecom and BlackBerry as a positive but not a game changer,” Goldman Sachs analyst Helen Zhu wrote in a research note. China Mobile has offered the BlackBerry in China for two years but has not been heavily promoting the device, the report says.

A separate report by Dow Jones Newswires cites earlier comments from China Telecom CEO Wang Xiaochu suggesting the operator plans to launch 30 3G handsets between June and August from the likes of Nokia and Motorola. All three of China’s mobile operators are thought to be looking at offering high-profile handsets such as the BlackBerry to support their new 3G networks, which are being rolled out this year. Both China Mobile and second-placed player China Unicom have also been linked with talks with Apple to offer the iPhone, though neither deal has yet been confirmed.