BlackBerry subscriptions soaring, RIM says

Research In Motion raised its forecast for subscriber additions in the current quarter but warned its profit will come in near the bottom of its previous expectations.

This announcement follows RIM’s acquisition of encryption company Certicom and reports that four RIM executives have agreed to pay $92 million in compensation for benefits they received from incorrectly price stock option. View these and more in our RIM highlights slide show.

New product introductions contributed to record levels of net subscriber-account additions throughout December, as the BlackBerry maker also enjoyed a successful holiday sales surge, the company said. The delayed and hotly anticipated BlackBerry Storm debuted to long lines and sellouts in late November. Following the holidays, new subscriber additions have continued to exceed the company’s expectations, though RIM expects the gains to become more normal next month.

On Wednesday, RIM raised its earlier forecast of net subscriber-account additions for the fourth quarter, ending Feb. 28, by 20 per cent. On Dec. 18, it had forecast 2.9 million net additions for the quarter. RIM also said it expects revenue for the quarter to be at or near the midpoint of the company’s previous guidance. The December forecast called for fourth-quarter revenue between US$3.3 billion and $3.5 billion.

However, RIM’s quarterly earnings per share and gross margin are likely to be at the low end of the range predicted in December, the company said. That range was between $0.83 and $0.91 per share, with gross margin between 40 per cent and 41 per cent. RIM cited changes in product mix, lower inventory in sales channels and a higher ratio of new subscriber sales to upgrades and replacements.

The subscriber growth news came as a rare ray of light in a mobile industry that looks gloomy and uncertain heading into 2009. Overall handset sales plunged 10 per cent in the fourth quarter, according to ABI Research. Nokia, the largest mobile-phone maker, said Wednesday it would close an R&D facility and lay off about 320 people from it as a result of falling sales.

Nokia sold 15 per cent fewer phones in 2008’s fourth quarter compared with a year earlier. But major mobile operators have reported subscriber gains and rising revenue from mobile data services.

In addition to making BlackBerry smartphones, RIM provides encrypted push e-mail services through its network operations centers. Last month, the company announced it had sold its 50 millionth BlackBerry. But not all has been rosy lately for the Waterloo, Ontario, company.

Last week, several RIM executives settled with the Ontario Securities Commission on charges they had engaged in improper backdating of employee stock options.

As part of the deal, Co-CEO Jim Balsillie agreed to step down from RIM’s board for 12 months. The company is still working on a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now