BlackBerry rejigs strategy, says Nigeria pivotal to profit BlackBerry rejigs strategy, says Nigeria pivotal to profit rebound
Global leader in mobile communications BlackBerry Limited said Nigeria is a critical market in its strategy to return to profitability by 2016, with a renewed focus on its traditional strengths.
The company disclosed this last Thursday in Lagos, during the unveiling of the new BlackBerry Z3 smartphone in the country.
Charles Asinugo, territory director, East, West, Central and Southern Africa, BlackBerry, said the company is capitalising on its traditional strengths in security and enterprises.
“Nigeria is key to our strategy to bring BlackBerry back to profitability. The Nigerian market is one of the strategic markets for BlackBerry. The appetite for mobile devices is enormous here and we see a lot of opportunities to develop applications in Nigeria,” he said.
He continued: “We are no longer bleeding, we are beginning to recover. We have a busy schedule of product roll out, and we are poised to bring back Blackberry to profitability in 2016. We listen to our customers both in Nigeria and worldwide.”
We have got back to our roots by focusing on security and enterprises, and we believe that these will bring us back to profitability. We are also doing some partnerships and acquisitions, he said.
Commenting on the newly launched BlackBerry Z3, Asinugo said: “We are confident that the Nigerian customers will find the BlackBerry Z3 valuable. It has improved battery capacity. As part of our strategy to return to profitability, we have looked into pricing. Our devices will come down in price, but it does not necessarily mean that they are inferior.
We are restructuring and restrategising, and we have streamlined our resources where necessary.”
Consumers who purchase a BlackBerry Z3 smartphone in July can also benefit from an exclusive app offer, the company said, adding that they simply have to login into the BlackBerry Word storefront from their BlackBerry Z3 smartphone and download a selection of paid apps – worth N8,000 – for free.
The device is expected to retail through authorised partners at the recommended price of N39,000, according to the company.
The BlackBerry Z3 extends the BlackBerry 10 platform to a new generation of customers in Nigeria at an attractive price point and offers them more ways to securely communicate, collaborate and be productive with an experience built on reliable, secure communications. The BlackBerry Z3 features a stylish design with a 5’’ touch display, an unrivalled messaging and typing experience, exceptional battery life, is equipped with BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1 and is Android app compatible, the company said.
Key features in the device include BlackBerry Hub, BBM, BlackBerry keyboard, time shift and story maker, BlackBerry 10 browser, instant previews and reply now, fast, easy sharing, FM radio and apps.
BlackBerry, which revolutionised the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999, aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences, the company said.
https://businessdayonline.com/2014/07/blackberry-rejigs-strategy-says-nigeria-pivotal-to-profit-rebound/#.U8573vldWYI