South Korea’s largest mobile operator, SK Telecom, is to offer the BlackBerry Bold smartphone and BlackBerry Enterprise Server software to corporate customers before the end of the year. The deal marks the first time the BlackBerry has launched in South Korea. It also makes it one of the first foreign-manufactured devices launched in the country ahead of the lifting of regulations that had previously required devices to be compatible with South Korea’s domestic mobile platform. In a press statement, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion said that domestic and multinational companies in South Korea would be able to buy the BlackBerry Bold – the vendor’s first 3G device – for KRW800,000 (US$595), excluding VAT, or for a special discount price of around KRW700,000 with a subsidy. A data plan will be priced at KRW26,000 per month on top of rate plans for voice and data.

The Korea Communication Commission said in a statement last week that adoption of the country’s Wireless Internet Platform for Interoperability (WIPI) platform by handset vendors would no longer be mandatory from April 1 next year. Enforcement of WIPI had effectively blocked foreign-designed handsets from entering the market. According to a Business Week report this week, the regulations have already been lifted for business users, allowing SK Telecom to offer the BlackBerry Bold ahead of April. The report added that SK Telecom’s closest competitor, KT Freetel, is planning to introduce Apple’s iPhone 3G in April, though the launch is yet to be confirmed.