BlackBerry Finally Launches BBM, Indonesian Telco Insiders Not Impressed

Tuesday (22/10) began with an announcement that BlackBerry Messenger for iOS and Android had been made available (properly this time) around the world and in Indonesia. Looking at reactions across the board on social networks is fascinating as many are excited while others are indifferent. So what about the industry insiders, what do they think?

"My expectations were quite high when BlackBerry announced the launch of BBM4ALL but looking at how unprofessional they had executed the product, I can't recommend it to anyone", said one prominent Indonesian mobile industry figure. BlackBerry had planned for this launch for a long time but it botched the initial launch several weeks ago when it failed to debut on Google Play and puled the app from the App Store

In the history of telecommunications there has never been an unpopular device which became popular again more significantly. Consumers are quite ruthless in punishing fallen brands", said Izak Jenie, a mobile industry expert in Indonesia. Seems reasonable to argue that when a brand gets punished by the consumers, it will be very difficult for it to return the trust it used to enjoy.

BlackBerry is going through a very decisive transition which will determine the future of the company. The free-falling sales of its hardware is compounded by the rise of iPhone and Android phone sales. BlackBerry itself has accepted that it will have to refocus towards the corporate and government markets but despite its shrinking share, BlackBerry Messenger remains a popular messaging service especially in growing markets like Indonesia.

"There remains a segment for BlackBerry even if it's small and many still expect to use cross platform BBM to connect to others who remain on BlackBerry and unwilling to make the switch to other instant messenger apps", according to Dolly Surya who prefers to be referred to as an active Internet and mobile consumer.

Aside from its popularity in Indonesia, the reactions to the launch of BBM from mobile industry insiders rends to be less than enthusiastic. "Telcos used to enjoy working with BlackBerry as it generates revenue for telcos beyond data subscription. At this point, BBM's value proposition is equal to all other text and voice messaging apps", according to a telco executive who wishes to remain unnamed. Similar tones come from other telco executives asked by DailySocial, which shows that BlackBerry must prove itself yet again if it wants to remain considered as a valued partner by local telcos.

Several other mobile partners still expect a lot out of the availability of BBM for Android and iPhone. By transitioning to the messaging business, BlackBerry becomes even more entrenched in the competitive landscape of mobile messaging services, fighting with the likes of WhatsApp, Line, KakaoTalk, WeChat, Cubie, Skype, and Viber.

One of BlackBerry's strengths that remains in BBM is the superior encryption system that it offers as leverage against its competitors. "With more than 60 million registered users and a strong experience in the field of secured messaging BBM is the last chance for BlackBerry to remain relevant to consumers. I think the security factor in a messaging service is very crucial, I doubt that there are other players with the security technology that BlackBerry has", said Adrian Li, former Rocket Internet executive who now runs Qraved.

Izak Jenie compares BBM for non BlackBerry devices as Microsoft Office for OS X. "BBM is the only asset that BlackBerry has which can still place the relevance of the 'BlackBerry' name in conversations. BBM's position for other devices is similar to Microsoft Office's position on Apple's OS X. Microsoft's Office's existence on OS X didn't cause Windows to disappear but it became a formidable asset to Microsoft. And Office on Windows always gets the latest updates first while the OS X version is always behind".

BlackBerry does have a strength that none of its competitors have but the effort to regain the trust from its partners, investors and users will not be easy. Only time will tell whether BlackBerry will be able to maintain its hold in Indonesia but for certain, it will take a massive effort and a defining strategy to bring BlackBerry back to its former glory.