Cincinnati Bell Launches New BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Smartphones

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cincinnati Bell Wireless, a division of Cincinnati Bell Inc. (NYSE: CBB), is expanding its smartphone lineup with the versatile and next-generation BlackBerry^® Curve^TM 8900 and BlackBerry^® Pearl^TM Flip 8220 smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM, TSX: RIM). The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY BlackBerry handset in the market today, and the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 is the first smartphone in RIM’s portfolio to come in the popular flip form. Both smartphones feature advanced multimedia and communication capabilities including built-in Wi-Fi^®, which is compatible with Cincinnati Bell’s Fusion WiFi service.

“We are excited to offer these best-in-class BlackBerry smartphones and believe they will appeal to a broad range of customers.”

“Consumer demand for style, function, and ease of use in smartphones continues to gain momentum, and the sleek, powerful BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 offer winning combinations on all fronts,” said Tim Bracken, director of consumer wireless for Cincinnati Bell. “We are excited to offer these best-in-class BlackBerry smartphones and believe they will appeal to a broad range of customers.”

Exclusive Fusion WiFi and Family-Share Data Plans

The Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry smartphones allow customers to take advantage of Cincinnati Bell’s Fusion WiFi service, which uses both wireless and Wi-Fi Internet signals to deliver outstanding reception, call clarity, and faster data downloads. In addition, calls made over a Wi-Fi network do not use wireless plan minutes, which means customers can gain additional cost-saving benefits. Fusion WiFi access is available at more than 300 Cincinnati Bell/ZoomTown hotspots and through home or business Wi-Fi routers optimized for the service.

The Cincinnati Bell Smart Phone Family Plan includes a standard voice plan and unlimited data and text messaging options for all plan users. A family of three can save up to $540 a year¹ as compared to similar offerings from the national carriers. In addition, Cincinnati Bell offers its customers the peace of mind that comes from not having to sign a multi-year contract.

BlackBerry Curve 8900 Features

The thinnest and lightest full-QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone yet, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 comes with a brilliant 2.4-inch high-resolution display. Other features include:

Refined, streamlined design – the handset weighs just 3.87 ounces and measures 4.29 inches by 2.36 inches by 0.53 inches
3.2-megapixel digital camera with autofocus, digital zoom, flash, image stabilization, and video recording*
Built-in GPS and BlackBerry^® Maps plus support for TeleNav GPS Navigator™
Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) with support for Cincinnati Bell’s Fusion WiFi service
Quad-band EDGE allows for international roaming
MicroSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting cards of up 16 GB for plenty of storage
BlackBerry^® Desktop Manager software including Roxio^® Media Manager for BlackBerry and the new BlackBerry^® Media Sync application to sync iTunes^® digital music collections with the smartphone**
Premium phone features including voice-activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth^® (2.0) support for hands-free use with headset, car kits, stereo headsets, and other Bluetooth peripherals
BlackBerry^® Internet Service support allowing access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate e-mail accounts, plus BlackBerry^® Enterprise Server support for enterprise deployment

BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Features

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone is the first BlackBerry smartphone to come in the popular flip form factor and has a spacious SureType^® QWERTY keyboard that makes typing messages and dialing numbers fast and easy. Other features include:

2.0-megapixel camera with digital zoom, built-in flash, and video recording*
Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) with support for Cincinnati Bell’s Fusion WiFi service
Two high-resolution, light-sensing color displays, including an external LCD that previews incoming e-mails, phone calls, and text messages
Externally accessible microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting cards of up 16 GB for plenty of storage
BlackBerry Desktop Manager software including Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry and the new BlackBerry Media Sync application to sync iTunes digital music collections with the smartphone**
Premium phone features including voice-activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.0) support for hands-free use with headset, car kits, stereo headsets, and other Bluetooth peripherals
BlackBerry Internet Service support that allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate e-mail accounts, plus BlackBerry Enterprise Server Support for enterprise deployments

For full handset details and rate plans, visit any Cincinnati Bell retail store, call 1-800-500-1229, or go to www.cbwireless.com.

¹Based on smartphone rate plans from AT&T and Verizon Wireless as of Jan. 30, 2009.

* Video recording requires microSD memory card, which may be sold separately.

** Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies.

About Cincinnati Bell Inc.

With headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Bell provides integrated communications solutions—including local, long distance, data, Internet, and wireless services—that help keep residential and business customers in Greater Cincinnati and Dayton connected with each other and with the world. In addition, businesses ranging in size from start-up companies to large enterprises turn to Cincinnati Bell for efficient, scalable office communications systems as well as complex information technology solutions including data center and managed services. Cincinnati Bell conducts its operations through three business segments: Wireline, Wireless, and Technology Solutions. For more information, visit www.cincinnatibell.com

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance.