After launching the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 with Vodacom last month, Research In Motion (RIM) and MTN today announced the availability of the latest Bold for MTN customers in South Africa.

The Canadian smartphone and tablet maker’s new BlackBerry 7 OS operating Bold 9900 smartphone measures in at a mere 10.5 mm thick, just 1.2 mm thicker than the iPhone 4. Like Nokia’s E6, this smartphone is a touch-and-type device, coupling RIM’s high performance and familiar Bold keyboard with a 2.8" (640 x 480, 287 ppi) Transmissive TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen.

Also onboard is Wi-Fi 802.11 n, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, GPS with aGPS support, 768 MB RAM, speedy 1.2 GHz QC 8655 processor, as well as 8 GB of internal storage that can be boosted to 40 GB, with the use of a microSD memory card. The Bold 9900 sports a 5 MP camera with face detection, image stabilisation and LED flash, which is able to record HD-Ready (720p) videos.

What we said about the phone in our review: “It’s the thinnest BlackBerry handset so far and the best looking Bold device as well”.  

Rui Brites, director for African product management at RIM, stated: “We're pleased to work with MTN to bring the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone to customers in South Africa. The new BlackBerry Bold combines outstanding mobile communications and multimedia performance with the industry’s best keyboard and a brilliant touch display.”

Mike Fairon, general manager for Product, Services and Innovation at MTN added: “We’re excited to bring the next-generation BlackBerry smartphone experience to our customers in South Africa. With its blazingly quick performance, enhanced browsing and elegant styling, this is a perfect smartphone for both consumers and busy professionals on the move.”  

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is available from participating MTN outlets on MTN’s Anytime 350 package at R459/month over 24 months.

In related news RIM also recently acquired the Dublin-based social software company NewBay and introduced the new BlackBerry Tag functionality that is on its way to NFC-enabled BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones, including the Bold 9900.