BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) still holds a substantial market share in UAE and the country remains one of the top markets for the company. The UAE smartphone segment is expanding at a rapid pace and the trend is expected to beat the EMEA average over the next five years, according to a report from GulfBusiness by Nick Horton, BlackBerry managing director for the Middle East and North Africa.
UAE an important market for BlackBerry
Data from research firm GFK says that BlackBerry was in the third spot among best-selling brands in the UAE for August of this year.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) Messenger is also the most preferred messaging app in the UAE with around 98 percent of users using it to stay in touch with their family, friends and colleagues.
Horton says the company is seeing upside in the Middle East, and will remain aggressively competitive in the smartphone segment here.
Horton said that the UAE is an important country to the company and will pursue investing in growth there. He said that the UAE was one of the most significant markets when unveiling the BlackBerry 10 range of smartphones, which includes BlackBerry Z10, Q10, Q5 and the new BlackBerry Z30.
BlackBerry working with partners to enhance UAE growth
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) is working in close collaboration with its partners in the region to make BlackBerry 10 available to the target users in more than one way, like through the channel, in stores and online. The Canadian firm is trying to icorporate more efficiency in its technology, features and applications.
Horton said that the smartphone maker is also working with its network carrier partners to make enterprise and consumer subscription plans highly competitive, and also to fulfill the high roaming needs of Saudi customers. BlackBerry has worked on its distribution and retail networks to make all BlackBerry services available to its users.
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) provides around 130,000 apps to its users, which is a substantial increase from 70,000 apps provided by the phonemaker in its store previously. He added that BlackBerry holds lots of possibilities for growth in the industry and remains committed to partners in UAE in providing secure technology and service.