South Africa will be among the first group of countries to see Blackberry 10 launched, announces Research in Motion (RIM) CEO Thorsten Heins, as the company fights to maintain its market position in South Africa.

The announcement was made on Sunday, while Heins continues his visit to South Africa as he briefs local carriers on RIM plans to roll out the company’s latest innovation – the Blackberry 10.

In an exclusive interview with Mr Aurthur Goldstuck, Heins disclosed plans for a three-waved roll-out of the new device, which is expected to be seen on the market in early 2013.

While globally speaking RIM has seen a huge drop in consumer interest due to the transformations in the sector initiated by competitors Android and Apple – namely, a shift to 4G connectivity and the dominance of touch-screen handsets –the company’s position in South Africa has remained positive, with figures showing that Blackberry still dominates the country’s smartphone market.  Studies conducted by independent research group World Wide Worx with results released in August, showed that over the 18 months considered by the study ending June 2012 Blackberry had grown its market share from 4 percent to 18 percent, with Blackberry devices accounting for 4.8 million of the 10 million smartphones sold in South Africa.

RIM has tapped into this research, placing South Africa in wave 1 of the three-tiered launch of the new Blackberry device.  It had been speculated that the Blackberry 10 would see its initial launch in Europe, but Heins confirmed yesterday that not only would South Africa see the new smartphone on its shelves on the day of global launch, but Nigeria will also be part of the first launch wave.

Heins announced: “South Africa is a priority one market for us, and we will acknowledge that with the launch of BlackBerry 10. There will be three waves in taking it to global markets, and South Africa and Nigeria are in the top range of Wave 1 launches. We will pay tribute to our customers here by delivering BlackBerry 10 in South Africa when it is launched”.

The innovation comprises a number of new upgrades as compared to previous Blackberry models, boasting the latest Blackberry operating system- Blackberry 7 – and also including new screen resolutions, touch screen models, a faster browser, near-field communications, augmented reality, and enhanced app integration to name but a few features.

RIM South Africa Managing Director Alexandra Zugury speaks highly of the new Blackberry product, and rates its role in staving off competition in the South African market.  She said: “BlackBerry 10 is an entirely new platform for BlackBerry – a new operating system powering new devices in a new ecosystem”.  She added: “RIM is growing from strength to strength in South Africa and our products are enjoying stellar sales in both the consumer and professional segments,”

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