Sony Online Entertainment's John Smedley announced on Twitter this weekend that the closed beta for has been approved by Sony and is very close to launching - in reply to a tweet from a follower asking how the submission was going, Smedley wrote:
"...it was approved first pass and goes up either the week of the 13th or 20th. We will know when we are back on the 5th"
The size of the closed beta is unknown at this stage, but you can sign up for it over on the official website.