Cingular Wireless and RIM introduce a new BlackBerry Handhelds


Atlanta and Waterloo, Ontario, February 25, 2004 ? /Wi-Fi Technology News/- Cingular Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced a new suite of BlackBerry? handhelds operating on Cingular???s nationwide GSM/GPRS network..

Cingular's new flagship GPRS data devices are the monochrome BlackBerry 6280? and color BlackBerry 7280? handhelds. The BlackBerry 6280 and BlackBerry 7280 are tri-band (850,1900,1800 MHz) handhelds that integrate phone, email and data access to allow customers to take full advantage of Cingular's GSM/GPRS network and manage all of their information and communications with a single device.

"Cingular is the leading provider of wireless email services with more experience supporting BlackBerry customers and corporate systems connectivity than any other carrier in the US," said Jim Ryan vice president of data product management and business marketing, Cingular Wireless. "Now with these new BlackBerry solutions, we are improving the strength or our position with higher speeds, a wireless data footprint that meets or beats any other carrier in the country and enterprise-grade service and support."

"Cingular and RIM have a longstanding and successful history supporting customers with BlackBerry deployments. BlackBerry Enterprise Server continues to be the wireless platform of choice for enterprise and government customers and the BlackBerry Web Client service is proving very popular with smaller companies and individuals that want to stay connected and productive throughout the day," said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. "The new BlackBerry models are a strong addition to the overall Cingular offering and the added support of both 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequencies in the US provides these handhelds with even greater wireless coverage on Cingular's nationwide network."

The BlackBerry 6280 and BlackBerry 7280 combine phone, email, SMS, organizer, web and corporate data applications in a single handheld. The handhelds also feature cradle-free wireless email synchronization, integrated attachment viewing (including support for popular file formats such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WordPerfect, PDF and ASCII) and remote address look up. The BlackBerry 6280 and BlackBerry 7280 operate on Cingular's 850/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS network in the United States and support international roaming on 1800 MHz networks.

For customers who want a full color handheld, the Java?-based BlackBerry 7280 features a new high-resolution screen that displays crisp images with support for over 65,000 colors, while continuing to offer superior battery life for optimal wireless performance.

The new BlackBerry handhelds are available through Cingular as part of the Cingular Xpress Mail? with BlackBerry service. The BlackBerry 6280 and BlackBerry 7280 work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server? software that supports both Microsoft? Exchange and IBM Lotus? Domino? environments.

Both products also support BlackBerry Web Client?, a web-based interface that can provide smaller companies and individuals with access to multiple existing corporate and/or personal e-mail accounts from a single BlackBerry handheld (including Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and popular ISP email accounts) without requiring server software. Cingular customers who sign up for XpressMail with BlackBerry service also receive monthly Internet access at no additional charge. Pricing for the BlackBerry 6280 starts at $249. Pricing for the BlackBerry 7280 starts at $299. Cingular data rate plans start as low as $29.99 per month for 3 MB of data.

Business customers who need installation, maintenance and technical support for their BlackBerry handhelds and services, or who want to deploy customized wireless data solutions on BlackBerry handhelds, can get expert support from Cingular's Professional Services. Cingular's team of wireless experts can manage any stage of a project from pre-sale engineering, to installation, testing and configuration, to end user training and ongoing help desk support. Cingular has more than 10 years experience supporting enterprise customers with data applications and has been selling and supporting the BlackBerry platform since 1999, making Cingular the longest standing U.S. BlackBerry carrier in the business.

For more information about the new BlackBerry handhelds, please visit Cingular Wireless' website at http://www.cingular.com.

ABOUT CINGULAR WIRELESS
Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communications (NYSE - SBC) and BellSouth (NYSE - BLS), serves more than 24 million voice and data customers across the United States. A leader in mobile voice and data communications, Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(tm), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Cingular has launched the world's first commercial deployment of wireless services using Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology. Cingular provides cellular/PCS service in 43 of the top 50 markets nationwide, and provides corporate e-mail and other advanced data services through its GPRS, EDGE and Mobitex packet data networks. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com.


ABOUT RESEARCH IN MOTION (RIM)
Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity.

RIM's portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry? wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld??? product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or http://www.blackberry.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Bowcock
Cingular Wireless
404-236-6319
jennifer.bowcock@cingular.com

Patrick Foarde
Ketchum for Cingular Wireless
404-879-9254
patrick.foarde@ketchum.com

Courtney Flaherty
Brodeur Worldwide for RIM
212-771-3637
cflaherty@brodeur.com

Investor Contact:
RIM Investor Relations
(519) 888-7465
investor_relations@rim.net