Nokia and Motorola next in line for RIM's throne

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Canadian-based Research in Motion (RIM) may be enjoying the lion's share of users' current appetite for converged devices, but going forward it faces stiff competition from Motorola, and Nokia, according to industry predictions.

Episodes of BlackBerry fever sweeping the UK have contributed to RIM's 5.5 million-strong subscriber base, but Nokia and Motorola's mobile phone heritage make them strong contenders for the current leader's throne, claims analyst IDC.

"Several BlackBerry clones have previously attempted to challenge RIM's reign in the enterprise market, but this is a more formidable strike," said Sean Ryan, research analyst for IDC's Mobile Markets.

"The timing is right for a more powerful attack against RIM's BlackBerry as competitive forces converge. Nokia is offering an end-to-end solution of its own, while Motorola and Palm, among others, are leveraging Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 and Microsoft Exchange."

Nokia's recent acquisition of Intellisync and Motorola's union with Microsoft positions them well to eat into RIM's share of a market expected to top 63 million unit shipments by 2010.

In a market that witnessed just 7.3 million shipments in 2005, it is clear that there is still much untapped potential to be earmarked by vendors.

To protect its leadership, RIM will need to keep a watchful eye on more than just Motorola and Nokia as, according to IDC, Palm and Microsoft, with its key industry alliances, will also be tough competitors.

Indeed, the analyst predicts that the prevalence of Windows Mobile-supported devices will continue to grow rapidly so that they account for almost one third (32.3 per cent) of the overall market in less than four years.

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