BlackBerry Planning to Remain Top Dog in Southeast Asia

By: Umair Yousuf  |   January 8th, 2013   |   Gadgets, News, O Canada, Smartphones

Research in Motion, the Canadian firm behind the development of BlackBerry, may have lost much of its market share in the high end markets of North America and Europe but its reputation as a leading brand still remains intact in the emerging markets of Southeast Asia where the “Crackberry” craze continues unabated.

 

RIM’s Southeast Asian business continues to sell big as BlackBerry continues to maintain its strong hold on the region. Indonesia today is the biggest market for RIM with half of the country’s market using BlackBerry devices.

 

The Canadian smartphone maker’s position elsewhere in the region too makes for good reading as BlackBerry ranks in at number two in the Philippines while taking up third position in Thailand and Malaysia. RIM’s future now is more or less dependent on these markets, with Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, playing a crucial role in the phone maker’s bid for survival.

 

RIM is currently looking to launch its latest line of smartphones which will run on the new BlackBerry 10 operating system but these phones will be mostly marketed to the North American and European markets.

 

For Southeast Asia, RIM has other plans in store.

 

As it launches its premium new devices in major markets, the Canadian firm is expected to put up aggressive discounts on its older devices in the Southeast Asian markets in a bid to further grow its already strong subscriber base.

 

Urpo Karjalainen, senior vice-president of RIM’s Asia-Pacific operations in an interview with The Globe and Mail said:

 

“The dynamics here are different from the western world, and I think that’s something that is absolutely fantastic for us.”

 

Melissa Chau, a technology analyst for research group IDC based in Singapore, said that buying low priced smartphone is a priority in the region, “I think that’s why RIM has been able to hold on in that area.”

 

Importance given by RIM to markets in Southeast Asia can be gauged from the fact that Blackberry’s new peer-to-peer banking system “BBM Money” will first be launched and tested in Indonesia.

 

BlackBerry has its hands on the pulse of the region and its discount plans on older gadgets will appeal to a market where price matters more than shiny new features.

 

Source: The Globe and Mail