BlackBerry not dead, insists official

Leading smartphone player in UAE, says Regional MD

With news gaining ground about BlackBerry’s imminent privatization – which a number of casual analysts seem to have taken as news about its potential death – the company is at pains to explain to its customers and stakeholders that it is still alive and kicking.

“BlackBerry still a leading smartphone player in UAE,” is a title of the media note that Emirates 24|7 received this morning, and the title does say it all.

The media note, attributed to Nick Horton, BlackBerry’s Managing Director for Middle East and North Africa, documents a number of facts about the region, like it being the leading region in the world for smartphone penetration, and the UAE in particular being one of the top global markets for smartphone subscriptions.

In this competitive market, BlackBerry says, it has achieved the enviable No. 3 position, and that’s no mean feat. “According to data provided by research firm GfK, BlackBerry was the #3 best-selling brand in the UAE in August this year,” the note emphasizes.

While we’re in no way disputing that stat, the very fact that BlackBerry has had to come out with a note to suggest that it is still doing well shows the extent of damage that it believes negative customer and analyst perception might be doing to its brand and, therefore, the counter-plan.

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