RIM looks at enlarging its target segment in India; announces launch of unlocked BlackBerry smartphones

Canadian smart phone manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM), which makes the popular "BlackBerry" smartphone, has decided expand its appeal for the device to the larger consumer segment, moving beyond the enterprise enterprise market in India.

To implement this India-specific strategy, RIM is now planning to bring to market "unlocked" handsets via retail chains and neighbourhood stores. It also plans to launch some localised consumer-centric mobile applications, in a bid to position its handsets as a converged device.

Reports said that the company is also looking at the option of bringing to the Indian market a specific smartphone at a more competitive price.

The company has acknowledged the need for a business plan specifically for India, one of the fastest growing markets. Having almost pioneered the enterprise segment in India, BlackBerry here is perceived to be a niche brand, which the company now wants to change to a consumer segment brand that constitutes the market.

However, it realises the absence of a strong distribution channel as being a key barrier to growth in India.

Consequently, to push RIM into the consumer segment, RIM has partnered with Redington India, which already has distribution arrangements with several category leaders like Nokia, Western Digital, IBM, Canon, Samsung, Seagate, APC, Asus, Computer Associates, Cisco, HCL and Hitachi, amongst others.