BlackBerry Considers Spinning Off Messaging Service

By: Zain Nabi  |   August 28th, 2013   |   News

BlackBerry is considering spinning off its messaging service as a separate unit, according to the Wall Street journal, quoting people that are familiar with the news.  BBM Inc is the new name of the subsidiary, said the newspaper. The company refuses to comment on this news saying it will not comment on any rumor and speculation.

 

Two sources that are familiar with BlackBerry told a well-known newspaper that the company was working constantly to tune the BlackBerry messenger service ahead of its launch on the devices of the competitors. However, according to the sources, the company has no instantaneous plan to spin off the unit.

 

There are more than 60 million users of the instant messaging service who send billion of trillions of messages a day to their friends and family. BlackBerry has added value to the services by adding video calling when the device is connected to Wi-Fi and working for the betterment of the service so that it can be used by the users of other devices as well.

 

The company recently announced some plans for BBM Channels, which not only let advertisers promote special deals but they can also target the market closely. According to the Wall Street Journal, BlackBerry is now considering making BBM available for desktop computers, quoting one of the people that are familiar with the news.

 

The company is making a list of a number of options that will help them increase the sales, said BlackBerry. And it seems that the recent development is in line with that goal. On Tuesday afternoon the shares of the BlackBerry Company on the Toronto Stock Exchange were 3 percent lower at C$10.63. The company has lost its value over three-quarters in early 2011, and this year has lost more than 7 percent. In this case, it will not come as a surprise if BlackBerry takes drastic measures to revive its share value.