Pole position in emerging markets will only matter if it converts users to its new platform.
BlackBerry is according to stats the number one selling and most widely-used smartphone in South Africa, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Columbia and Mexico. It has an undeniable grip on emerging markets.
While some may argue and say a BlackBerry is not the best smartphone, it gives tens of millions of users in these markets their first experience of the internet or their entrance into the smartphone world.
In some cases in Africa, internet is still a luxury, and some users in Africa and around the world can be accessing Facebook and updating their statuses with the BlackBerry native apps without even realising they are using the internet. Some most likely never use the browser, only appworld and native social network apps using what they know as ‘BIS’ – but never relate it to ‘internet’.
While the pre-paid and post-paid data services may not be called unaffordable, the BlackBerry Internet Service offers unlimited use – and that’s what every social network addict wants. Bob Bose, MD for Benelux, believes that price is “only a component” of the customer’s purchasing decision. He sees access to the internet almost as the deciding factor.
“Africa is an important market,” says Bose. It’s growing faster on the continent than in Asia, and is expanding its presence on the ground. RIM already has offices in Johannesburg and Nairobi, and will open an office in Lagos in the coming months. With a population of 170m and a mobile phone user base of 100m in the West African giant, it’s easy to see why.
Source: Money Web