Info Tech
BlackBerry-maker turns to complex market in southeast Asia to grow subscribers
BANGKOK – While BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) claws for a diminishing market share in North America, the smartphone maker maintains a reputation in Southeast Asia that in some places harkens back to its glory days.
It’s sometimes hard to remember that RIM was once the darling of the tech industry, with legions of addicted fans dubbing the device the CrackBerry.
For a reminder of those heady times visit Siam Paragon, the biggest mall in Bangkok and one of the largest in Asia. There the BlackBerry retail store is just steps away from outlets selling designer labels like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Lamborghini.
Indonesia is also a bright light, having become RIM’s biggest market in Southeast Asia. The company holds roughly half of the local handset market and has been ranked the top-selling smartphone there for the past two years.
The BlackBerry also ranks as the No. 2 smartphone in the Philippines, and the No. 3 smartphone in Thailand and Malaysia.
But it is Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populated country that will likely play a key role in RIM’s future as it struggles to launch its new BlackBerry smartphones in the fickle North American and European markets.
At the same time, the company aims to sell its older device inventory at a discounted price in countries that are just starting to adopt smartphone technology.
One of the unique characteristics of Southeast Asia is that, for many in the region, buying a low-priced smartphone is the only reasonable option, said Melissa Chau, a technology analyst for research group IDC based in Singapore.
“In general, in these emerging markets you’ve got a strong polarization of the really rich and the really poor,” she said.
“Everyone who lives in the urban areas already has a smartphone. But how we bring phones to cities in more rural areas — especially with more affordable headsets — that’s going to be the next frontier.”
Indeed, RIM has proven it already has its finger on the pulse of emerging markets and has successfully marketed BlackBerrys as exclusive yet affordable in countries like Nigeria, where it is ranked as the No. 1 smartphone.
In Asia, executives believe that a similar opportunity is being mined by the company, particularly in Indonesia.
“It’s quite a warm feeling walking around Jakarta because it’s probably like New York five years ago in the sense that everyone is walking around with a BlackBerry,” said Hastings Singh, managing director of RIM’s south Asia operations.
“If you can afford a BlackBerry you have one. It almost is at that point.”
In a perfect world, RIM’s business model would have all of its current customers in Southeast Asia eventually graduate to its new premium-priced models that will run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system.
There’s still plenty of space for smartphone competition in Southeast Asia, especially outside major cities where a notable portion of the population doesn’t own a phone capable of Internet and email.
“The dynamics here are different from the western world, and I think that’s something that is absolutely fantastic for us,” said Urpo Karjalainen, senior vice-president of RIM’s Asia-Pacific operations.
Selling older phones to smaller markets proved to be a temporary fix for RIM in 2012, as it tried to cut its losses amid the two delays of its latest devices, which are now expected to debut in the coming months.
The company kept its overall subscriber base growing for longer than many analysts anticipated, but even those numbers are starting to slip. In the third quarter, about one million users shifted away from the BlackBerry, and the company reported its subscriber base fell to 79 million.
BlackBerry subscribers anywhere in the world are valuable to RIM partly because each pays a lucrative monthly service fee to operate on the company’s networks.
As RIM prepares to launch the new BlackBerrys in higher end markets — including countries like Thailand — the company is expected to move ahead with aggressive discounts for its older devices which it hopes could maintain or grow its subscriber base further.
A price cut would likely gain favour with local carriers because keeping the price of smartphones down in Southeast Asia is a priority. Hardly any telecom companies offer the type of subsidy programs that help North American consumers finance their higher priced handsets like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S3.
“The cost of the device is actually a pretty big deal here,” said Chau.
“I think that’s why RIM has been able to hold on in that area.”
For RIM’s investors, it will be important for the company to maintain its existing subscribers in emerging markets, as it makes a case to North American and European customers with its new line of devices, due early this year.
In its outlook, RIM said it expected continued pressure on operating results in its fourth quarter, which ends in February, and expects to post another quarterly loss.
In the meantime, the company is launching a feature on its BlackBerry Messenger chat program that allows BlackBerry users to transfer money between each other. The peer-to-peer banking system is called BBM Money and will be first tested in Indonesia.
In efforts at spicing up the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, the management of ITREALMS Media has partnered with E-waste Producer Responsibility Organization of Nigeria (EPRON) membership organisations for a day-long collection scheme of small electronic waste on Friday, December 15, 2023.
The EPRON members aligning their partnership with 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue are EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited and WEEE Eco-Friendly.
ITREALMS’ day-long collection scheme is part of the commemoration of 2023 international E-Waste Day (IEWD) within the ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue with the theme “You Can Recycle Anything with a plug, battery or cable” at Welcome Centre Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos.
Revealing this collaboration, the Group Executive Editor, ITREALMS Media, the organisers of the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue, Sir. Remmy Nweke, urged mobile device enthusiasts to come along with their devices that have reached their end-of-life to the venue for proper disposition by professionals who would also be on grounds to address some topical issues.
The collection of small electronic wastes especially mobile phones and like-devices, would be carried out by EPRON member organisation, EL-AS Tech Enterprises Limited as facilitated by ITREALMS Media group as part of this year’s ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue on Friday, December 15, he added.
He disclosed that the exercise would commence at Welcome Centre Hotel by 9am till close of work hours the same day.
Nweke pointed out that the collection of small e-waste items would include mobile phones, pointers mouse, earpieces, rechargeable torches, phone chargers, to name a few.
Further, he said, that this initiative has become time-serving because some people may have missed any other opportunity before now for the year-long campaign, hence this awareness on e-Waste has to be continuous, “ITREALMS came up with this scheme.”
Nweke beckoned on Nigerians, especially mobile phone users, to leverage the opportunity in disposing of their mobile devices they no longer use, of course in exchange for a voucher or gift item.
In her reaction to this year’s day-long small waste collection, EPRON Executive Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, described the initiative as commendable, expressing confidence it would intensify the collection of end-of-life devices for proper disposition.
Mrs. Faluyi, also urged Nigerians to take advantage of this day-long collection of small wastes courtesy of ITREALMS Media.
Recalling for instance that in October 2022, EPRON had partnered SLOT alongside some UN agencies for collection of small e-waste items in Lagos, including the United Nations Information Centres (UNIC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA).
This is even as the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida and Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Prof. Aliyu Jauro, would both lead speakers at the 2023 ITREALMS E-Waste Dialogue slated for this Friday, December 15, in Lagos.
Today, September 12, the tech corporation Apple will introduce the iPhone 15, their newest iPhone model.
According to a Forbes story, this model, which will be introduced at the company’s “Wanderlust” event in Cupertino, California, will be available in four variations: the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Here are five things you should know about the new iPhone 15 model.
1. The new model is made of titaniu, not stainless steel as some other Apple smartphone models, Senior research analyst at DIGITIMES, Luke Lin reports.
2. The Pro Max model will feature double the optical zoom on the iPhone 14 as it comes with a newly-introduced ‘periscope lens upgrade, performing 5-6x optical zoom.’
3. The Pro models will carry an A17 bionic chip expected to make it perform faster.
4. The iPhone 15 model will feature a USB-C charging port, the same port featured on some Android phone models.
5. Due to its titanium shell, the new model is anticipated to be more expensive to purchase. The following is the speculated price list, as reported by Forbes:
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro at $1,099 ($100 increase), and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at $1,299 ($200 increase).
In an effort to reduce the exorbitant cost of Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, the Infrastructure Bank Plc announced its collaboration with FEMADEC Group on Monday to offer 500 buses powered by autogas (Compressed Natural Gas).
Partners in the agreement claimed that the project was created to provide citizens with dependable, affordable, and environmentally friendly travel options, taking into account the negative effects of the nationwide increase in PMS costs.
Under Decree No. 51 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1992 Constitution, the Infrastructure Bank, originally known as the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was founded in 1992 to promote the quick development of infrastructure throughout the nation.
In a statement issued in Abuja on its partnership with FEMADEC, the bank said, “The preliminary offer extended by TIB lays a solid foundation for the expansion of FEMADEC Group’s CNG bus fleet.
“With plans to introduce 500 CNG buses within the next five years, commencing with an initial batch of 50 buses in the forthcoming year, this proposal stands poised to instigate significant change.
“The acceptance of this proposition by FEMADEC Group, notably championed by Fola Akinnola, the Group Chief Executive Officer, is a testament to their zeal and dedication to this alliance.”
The bank described the partnership as a “pivotal endeavour that is primed to redefine Nigeria’s public transportation landscape, offering dependable, cost-effective, and ecologically conscious travel alternatives for citizens, while harmonising with the nation’s broader sustainability ambitions.”
“This partnership represents a remarkable stride towards a more ecologically aware future for Nigeria’s transportation sector, highlighting the shared commitment of both TIB and FEMADEC Group to sustainable advancement and progress.”
It said FEMADEC Group’s strides in operating Compressed Natural Gas buses, including the existing fleet of 20 CNG buses under LAMATA, underscored their unwavering dedication to ecologically sound solutions, a commitment predating the fuel subsidy removal.
“Their leadership within the CNG value chain is undeniable, and the new alliance with TIB underscores their foresight.
“This partnership seamlessly aligns with TIB’s sustainability objectives, echoing their resolute endorsement of the government’s net-zero and climate change agenda.
“The bank’s aspiration to champion Nigeria’s infrastructure progress is evident in its endorsement of pivotal initiatives like this, yielding expansive positive impacts on both the environment and society,” the bank stated.
The bank added that it would continue to make a significant contribution to the country’s growth as a leading financial institution committed to advancing effective and long-lasting infrastructure projects.
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