- Title: NIGERIA: Blackberry launches the new Z10 smart phone in Nigeria
- Date: 8th March 2013
- Summary: VARIOUS OF BLACKBERRY EXECUTIVES POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH BLACKBERRY Z10 IN THEIR HANDS EXTERIOR BLACKBERRY SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROBERT BOSE, BLACKBERRY'S REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA, SAYING: "We've had great success in Nigeria, in fact according of the 4 million smart phones in Nigeria, 2 million of them are Blackberry's. I think that the reason for that success, I'm not sure that we can point to one thing, I think it's a combination of things, think it's very aspirational, we think Blackberry messenger is very strong, has a very strong community, has a very strong connectedness that Nigerian society enjoys." VARIOUS OF BISMARCK REWANE, FINANCIAL ANALYST IN HIS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BISMARCK REWANE, FINANCIAL ANALYST SAYING: "That loss of market share to Nigerians will not happen as fast as other markets, because of the Blackberry community which is quite large. There will be another demography of people who are using the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy phone, I think that's what you're going to see but it's not going to be that rapid. Nigeria is probably the second largest market for Blackberry Research in Motion after United States." VARIOUS OF MOBILE PHONE OUTLETS LOGO READING: "THE GSM PLAZA" VARIOUS OF MAN BUYING A PHONE FROM A DEALER IN A STORE BLACKBERRY Z10 PACK (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLIVER UMEGE, LAGOS RESIDENT, SAYING: "I have used Blackberry for not less than three years maybe probably because of the pinging (BlackBerry) you know, it's communication made easy, you can reach your families, you can reach your friends through pinging without spending much money." VARIOUS OF PHONE DEALER ARRANGING HIS STORE HANDSETS ON DISPLAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOLAJI USMAN, SHOP KEEPER, SAYING: "Immediately they came in, the market started going up, there was huge demand for phones, because virtually every phone owner wants to start using a blackberry phone because of the functions it offers them." VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC IN LAGOS
- Embargoed: 23rd March 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Business,Communications,Technology
- Reuters ID: LVAD8MQU4YD4OWLLHW2PAI3D1UJX
- Story Text: BlackBerry launched its latest smartphone the Blackberry Z10 handsets on Thursday (March 07) in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos. Nigeria is the second fastest growing mobile market in the world, according to the company's regional manager for Middle East and for Africa, Robert Bose.
The company's Z10, the first in a line of smartphones powered by the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, is on sale in the UK, Canada, Germany ,Indonesia, India, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, among other countries.
On a continent where a computer is beyond the reach of most people, mobile phones in Africa have seen explosive growth with over a third of the population having access.
In Africa's most populous country and largest mobile market with 90 million mobile subscribers, Blackberry has been the leading smartphone amongst customers in the country in recent years.
The company says the latest Blackberry Z10 offers customers a powerful and unique experience, and a faster and more advanced mobile smart devices, compared to its previous phone models.
"We've had great success in Nigeria, in fact according of the four million smart phones in Nigeria, two million of them are Blackberrys. I think that the reason for that success, I'm not sure that we can point to one thing, I think it's a combination of things, think it's very aspirational, we think Blackberry messenger is very strong, has a very strong community, has a very strong connectedness that Nigerian society enjoys," Bose said.
BlackBerry, a one-time smartphone pioneer, has bled market share to the likes of Apple's iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy line and other devices powered by Google Inc's market-leading Android operating system.
Amid decreasing sales in Europe and North American markets, emerging markets such as Nigeria offer a ray of hope for Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of Blackberry, with more than half of Nigeria's smartphone ow owners use Blackberrys.
Unpredictable phone networks and the cost effective BlackBerry service tariff options have contributed to the popularity of the smart phone in Nigeria.
Bismarck Rewane, a financial analyst in Lagos says Blackberry's poor sales performance in Europe and America are less likely to happen in Nigeria.
"That loss of market share to Nigerians will not happen as fast as other markets because of the Blackberry community which is quite large. There will be another demography of people who are using the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy phone, I think that's what you're going to see but it's not going to be that rapid. Nigeria is probably the second largest market for Blackberry Research in Motion after United States," Bismarck said.
BlackBerry Internet Service and apps like BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), the smartphone's instant messaging service, have also increased the phone appeal amongst Nigerian mobile users, who depend on these applications to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues, or running their businesses directly from their handsets.
Retailing at 637 US dollars, the new Z10 Blackberry does not come cheap, but this has not discouraged many of the smartphone's admirers.
"I have used Blackberry for not less than three years maybe probably because of the pinging (BlackBerry messager) you know, it's communication made easy, you can reach your families, you can reach your friends through pinging without spending much money," said Lagos resident, Oliver Umege.
Bolaji Usman, a shop keeper who sells phones, says BlackBerry's presence in Nigeria has led to the growth of his business, where 55 percent of his sales are BlackBerry phones.
"Immediately they came in, the market started going up, there was huge demand for phones, because virtually every phone owner wants to start using a blackberry phone because of the functions it offers them," Usman said.
The BlackBerry Z10 has 250 apps developed specifically for the Nigerian market.
BlackBerry is looking towards partnering with local companies to bring a better BlackBerry experience to Nigeria by strengthening their retail presence.
The smartphone is presently sold in hundreds of stores nationwide, and plans are in place to expand their presence in coming months. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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