By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY: Telstra today commenced distributing the BlackBerry Bold smartphone to “selected business customers”. The first devices in Australia arrived over the weekend, with a Telstra spokesperson saying this was especially done to “meet high demand from consumers”.

"There has been tremendous interest for the BlackBerry Bold smartphone,” said Telstra enterprise & government group managing director, David Thodey.

Thodey continued to extol the virtues of this new model to business consumers.

"The depth of the Telstra Next G network will also mean that the BlackBerry Bold smartphone will work in more lifts and on the upper floors of multi-rise buildings, and with global roaming this makes the BlackBerry Bold the perfect tool for the business executive ‘on the go’," said Thodey.

Joining Thodey in enthusiasm over this release is Telstra business group managing director, Deena Shiff.

“The introduction of the BlackBerry Bold will be a boon for business customers, offering unprecedented functionality and performance and allowing ‘always on’ wireless connectivity while away from the desk,” said Shiff.

Discussing the features of the BlackBerry Bold is Telstra product management executive director, Ross Fielding.

"Customers using the BlackBerry Bold on the Next G network can make the most of its 3.6 Mbps download capability peak rating to browse the net, use 3G applications like Whereis Navigator, and handle large email attachments faster, in more places,” said Fielding.

The Blackberry Bold is available for RRP $999, or on one of a number of Telstra plans.