MUMBAI, INDIA: As Indian telcos are all set to roll out the much-awaited 3G services before the end of 2010, mobile phones makers are flooding the local markets with the latest 3G-enabled features mobile handset too.

Leading from the front, Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of BlackBerry brand smartphones launched on Thursday a new BlackBerry Pearl 3G model.

“According to a TRAI report, on an average, about 18 million mobile phone subscribers are added every month in India, which showcases the tremendous growth of the telecom sector. With the upcoming 3G networks in India, the telecom sector’s history will get changed into exciting times,” said Frenny Bawa, Research In Motion’s managing director – India.

“Since the BlackBerry’s first entry in 2004, we have launched more than 20 different devices in India and are committed to the Indian market and its growth. Also we are building applications specific to India and are using the available local talents of developer community,” Bawa added.

The new BlackBerry Pearl 3G, weighing 93 grams, is loaded with various features including 3G and tri-band UTMS/HSDPA compatibility, built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n) and GPS, infra-red 3.2 mega pixel backside camera with multi-media functionalities powered by 624 MHz processor with 256 MB flash memory.

In addition, it comes in two keypad variants – 14 and 20 keys along with optical trackpad for smooth and fast navigation. Also it has a display resolution of 360x400 with the battery life lasting up to 5.5 hours of talks on 3G.

According to Bawa, during January 2009 to February 2010, about 10.5 million handsets were shipped globally, which include an equal share of enterprise and retail market, while RIM's subscriber base has reached 50 million worldwide.

It’s quite interesting that RIM’s announcement of new BlackBerry Pearl 3G in India comes a day after Apple unveiled iPhone 4 in the US. However, the company said the announcement of its new BlackBerry phone has nothing to do with Apple’s iPhone 4 unveiling.

However, the company didn’t inform when the new smartphone will actually be available in Indian market and remained tight lipped about its price too. This new model was first announced at the global conference early in April this year and at present the new model is only available in Canada and Australia.

“We don’t spend time on competitors but use the time on developing new services and applications and our services differentiate us from the others. While hardware can be copied, our services and secured software cannot be copied,” said Keith Pardy, Research In Motion’s chief marketing officer – North America.

“We have added new features such as social networking applications, access to BlackBerry App World, multi-media functions with 64 games and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) for people who want to switch from office to social life,” said Pardy.