RIM’s New EMEA Director Targets Prepaid

Ex-Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) CTO Chris Burke, currently working as RIM’s managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, will be actively moving towards more prepaid BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) services, eventually encompassing the 8900 and Pearl Flip around the £150-mark for next Christmas. Outlets like Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4 U are likely targets for these kinds of deals. Orange has already been dabbling in prepaid BlackBerry services, but they have yet to really take off elsewhere. With talk about a $5/month basic e-mail plan in the works, it seems to be a likely direction for RIM to be taking, especially in light of more frugal consumer spending. I think it’s safe to say that at least in Europe, prepaid BlackBerry service will make a big push over the next year, but the jump to North America seems a little less likely.

[via Mobility Today]