Even with the news from Blackberry creator Research In Motion Inc, that Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis
were stepping down as the co-chief executives and chairmen of the Company, effective Jan 23rd, news coming from Nigeria states that the number of blackberry devices has hit 2.4 million.
The Canada based Company had suffered quite a few setbacks last year with Apple’s popular iPhone and other smart devices as also Google’s Android based devices overshadowed ‘’the very Business-friendly and email-centric’ Blackberry. It all started with the BlackBerry PlayBook and the cold response it received in the mid of 2011. Also in October 2011, the Blackberry users across the globe faced service outages and even threatened to move on to different phone types and in December the Company delayed the launch of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 devices by several months.
However the news in Nigeria is different. The report from a Nigerian business news publication, Business Day recently revealed that there are about 2.4 million blackberry users in Nigeria. This is a 140% increase from the 1 million user number reported by industry analysts last year.
Despite losing market share in the global android-driven smart phone space, the BlackBerry device is becoming increasingly popuplar in Nigeria . Information from senior personnel inside Nigeria ’s GSM industry show that there were about about 2.4 million Blackberry devices in the country’s four GSM networks MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat, as at December 2011. This is up from about 925,000 about a year ago.
Meanwhile, shares of Research In Motion (RIM) makers of the BlackBerry device,jumped more than 8 percent on Tuesday last week, after a tech blog said the BlackBerry maker was actively seeking to sell itself to South Korean smartphone rival Samsung Electronics.
The Boy Genius Report website cited an unidentified source saying that RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie was meeting with companies interested in either licensing its software or buying a part or all of RIM, with Samsung leading the pack.
RIM’s Nasdaq-listed shares were up 8.5 percent at $17.55 by early afternoon, while the Toronto-listed stock rose 5.4 percent to C$17.77, adding to its gains on Monday when U.S. markets were closed.
RIM has been the target of a steady stream of takeover speculation in recent months as its market valuation has crawled along at multi-year lows amid product delays and profit warnings.
Samsung, which has emerged as the No. 1 smartphone manufacturer on the back of booming demand for its Android-based models, in Africa, Asia and Europe said on Tuesday it plans to merge its own “bada” operating system with an open-source platform supported by chipmaker Intel.
Android, the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, is owned by Google and used by a slew of handset manufacturers, including Motorola Mobility and HTC, as well as Samsung.
RIM’s stock has jumped more than 6 percent four times since December 21, when Reuters reported that Amazon.com and other possible buyers had considered a bid. It is still down almost 75 percent from a year ago.
GSM networks in Nigeria have been creatively fragmenting social media applications in the BlackBerry frame and selling access in bits for lower unit prices, to bring them within the reach of more new and existing subscribers. They are likewise offering service packages, knocked down from the previous monthly frames, to weekly access frames, to likewise drive up subscriber numbers.
Airtel Nigeria for instance, months back, introduced a new dimension to the competition in the BlackBerry subscriber market in Nigeria , by offering a new bundle for ‘BlackBerry’ smart phone users. Labelled ‘BConnected’ the bundle offers ‘BlackBerry Messenger’ is a real time messaging and chat service, as well as access to social networks, Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. It also offers access to monthly, weekly or daily plans.
The bundle was priced at N1,580 monthly and excluded e-mail services which most other BlackBerry services included. The selling point however was the N1,580 which was significantly less that the cost of the standard service which includes e-mail services. The said standard service is priced at between N2,800 and N3,000 by the various networks, including Airtel.
The prices keep going down.
BlackBerry, a line of mobile e-mail and smartphone devices was developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) since 1999.
The devices function as personal digital assistant and portable media players. They are primarily known for their ability to send and receive (push) Internet e-mail wherever mobile network service coverage is present, or through Wi-Fi connectivity. They support a large array of instant messaging features, including BlackBerry Messenger.
In a related development accredited sellers of Blackberry smartphones in Nigeria are engaged in a pitted battle with the grey (unofficial) market sellers of the device, who are threatening their business.
The grey market operators tend to sell unauthorised products which come mostly from Asia, as well as second hand products which come from Europe and the US.
The attraction for the greymarket operators is that their prices are significantly lower than the prices of the authorised channels. They sometimes sell at less than half the prices of the authorised products.
The disadvantage of the grey market is that their products don’t come with warranties and are usually not as reliable or durable.
Market watchers say though, that because Nigeria is a low income environment, there is a special attraction for greymarket products, with all the problems they portend.
To prevent the grey market from doing too much damage to the authorised channels, RIM periodically advertises the benefits of its ‘authentic’ product.
RIM advises buyers to :”Always look for the seal of authenticity whenyou buy a new BlackBerry device”.
The company adds that :”This guarantees that you are buying from an authorised dealer and that your new BlackBerry device comes with the peace of mind of a 12 month warranty”.
The grey market operators are fighting back with newpaper adverts too. For them, the selling point is price. One grey market outlet that sells second hand BlackBerry devices in Lagos , advertised half the prices of new and authorised products. Market watchers say every market serves a purpose.
The authorised channels serve the corporate market which has the resources and is particular about authenticity and warrantees, while the grey market services the lower end market, particularly undergraduates and other students who could otherwise not afford the BlackBerry.