diff --git a/headers/os/locale/Collator.h b/headers/os/locale/Collator.h
index 991a08b49f..92d8c6ae8f 100644
--- a/headers/os/locale/Collator.h
+++ b/headers/os/locale/Collator.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 namespace icu_44 {
 	class Collator;
+	class RuleBasedCollator;
 };
 
 
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ class BCollator : public BArchivable {
 
 	private:
 		icu_44::Collator* fICUCollator;
+		icu_44::RuleBasedCollator* fFallbackICUCollator;
 		int8			fStrength;
 		bool			fIgnorePunctuation;
 };
diff --git a/src/kits/locale/Collator.cpp b/src/kits/locale/Collator.cpp
index 569710fdfa..5c86622ed8 100644
--- a/src/kits/locale/Collator.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/locale/Collator.cpp
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@
 #include <ctype.h>
 
 #include <unicode/coll.h>
+#include <unicode/tblcoll.h>
 
 
 BCollator::BCollator()
 	:
+	fFallbackICUCollator(NULL),
 	fStrength(B_COLLATE_PRIMARY),
 	fIgnorePunctuation(true)
 {
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@ BCollator::BCollator()
 BCollator::BCollator(const char *locale, int8 strength,
 	bool ignorePunctuation)
 	:
+	fFallbackICUCollator(NULL),
 	fStrength(strength),
 	fIgnorePunctuation(ignorePunctuation)
 {
@@ -45,9 +48,9 @@ BCollator::BCollator(const char *locale, int8 strength,
 BCollator::BCollator(BMessage *archive)
 	: BArchivable(archive),
 	fICUCollator(NULL),
+	fFallbackICUCollator(NULL),
 	fIgnorePunctuation(true)
 {
-#if HAIKU_TARGET_PLATFORM_HAIKU
 	int32 data;
 	if (archive->FindInt32("loc:strength", &data) == B_OK)
 		fStrength = (uint8)data;
@@ -57,14 +60,28 @@ BCollator::BCollator(BMessage *archive)
 	if (archive->FindBool("loc:punctuation", &fIgnorePunctuation) != B_OK)
 		fIgnorePunctuation = true;
 
-	// TODO : ICU collator ? or just store the locale name ?
-#endif
+	UErrorCode error = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+	fFallbackICUCollator = static_cast<RuleBasedCollator*>
+		(Collator::createInstance(error));
+
+	ssize_t size;
+	const void* buffer = NULL;
+	if (archive->FindData("loc:collator", B_RAW_TYPE, &buffer, &size) == B_OK) {
+		fICUCollator = new RuleBasedCollator((const uint8_t*)buffer, (int)size,
+			fFallbackICUCollator, error);
+		if (fICUCollator == NULL) {
+			fICUCollator = fFallbackICUCollator;
+				// Unarchiving failed, so we revert to the fallback collator
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 
 BCollator::~BCollator()
 {
 	delete fICUCollator;
+	fICUCollator = NULL;
+	delete fFallbackICUCollator;
 }
 
 
@@ -169,17 +186,24 @@ BCollator::Archive(BMessage *archive, bool deep) const
 	if (status == B_OK)
 		status = archive->AddBool("loc:punctuation", fIgnorePunctuation);
 
-	/*
-	BMessage collatorArchive;
-	if (status == B_OK && deep
-		&& typeid(*fCollator) != typeid(BCollatorAddOn)
-			// only archive subclasses from BCollatorAddOn
-		&& (status = fCollator->Archive(&collatorArchive, true)) == B_OK)
-		status = archive->AddMessage("loc:collator", &collatorArchive);
-	*/
-	//TODO : archive fICUCollator
+	UErrorCode error = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+	int size = static_cast<RuleBasedCollator*>(fICUCollator)->cloneBinary(NULL,
+		0, error);
+		// This WILL fail with U_BUFFER_OVERFLOW_ERROR. But we get the needed
+		// size.
+	error = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+	uint8_t* buffer = (uint8_t*)malloc(size);
+	static_cast<RuleBasedCollator*>(fICUCollator)->cloneBinary(buffer, size,
+		error);
 
-	return status;
+	if (status == B_OK && error == U_ZERO_ERROR)
+		status = archive->AddData("loc:collator", B_RAW_TYPE, buffer, size);
+	delete buffer;
+
+	if (error == U_ZERO_ERROR)
+		return status;
+	else
+		return B_ERROR;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/tests/kits/locale/collatorTest.cpp b/src/tests/kits/locale/collatorTest.cpp
index ba8db2e6b2..5b85766c30 100644
--- a/src/tests/kits/locale/collatorTest.cpp
+++ b/src/tests/kits/locale/collatorTest.cpp
@@ -156,20 +156,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	// load the collator add-on if necessary
 
 	if (addon != NULL) {
-		image_id image = load_add_on(addon);
-		if (image < B_OK)
-			fprintf(stderr, "could not load add-on at \"%s\": %s.\n", addon, strerror(image));
-
-		BCollatorAddOn *(*instantiate)(void);
-		if (get_image_symbol(image, "instantiate_collator",
-				B_SYMBOL_TYPE_TEXT, (void **)&instantiate) == B_OK) {
-			BCollatorAddOn *collator = instantiate();
-			if (collator != NULL)
-				gCollator = new BCollator(collator, strength, true);
-		} else if (image >= B_OK) {
-			fprintf(stderr, "could not find instantiate_collator() function in add-on!\n");
-			unload_add_on(image);
-		}
+		gCollator = new BCollator(addon, strength, true);
 	}
 
 	if (gCollator == NULL) {
@@ -177,7 +164,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		gCollator = be_locale->Collator();
 	}
 
-	// test archiving/unarchiving collator
+	printf("test archiving/unarchiving collator\n");
 
 	BMessage archive;
 	if (gCollator->Archive(&archive, true) != B_OK)
@@ -193,7 +180,10 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
-	// test the BCollator::Compare() and GetSortKey() methods
+	printf(" Archived content :");
+	archive.PrintToStream();
+
+	printf("test the BCollator::Compare() and GetSortKey() methods\n");
 
 	const char *strengthLabels[] = {"primary:  ", "secondary:", "tertiary: "};
 	uint32 strengths[] = {B_COLLATE_PRIMARY, B_COLLATE_SECONDARY, B_COLLATE_TERTIARY};