Windows phone to rival BlackBerry

Windows phone to rival BlackBerry
07:38 PM Nov 02, 2011

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Photo courtesy Nokia

MELBOURNE - Microsoft Windows phones, such as the Nokia Lumia 800 (picture), may rival the BlackBerry in the next five years for the business smartphone market.

Ovum, a research and independent analysis company, predicts the Windows phone in the Asia-Pacific will increase its market share in the business smartphone market to reach 25 per cent in 2016, playing catch up with Research in Motion's BlackBerry phones.

The company says BlackBerry will remain the dominant player, with 25 per cent market share of new device shipments in 2016.

In its Enterprise Smartphone Forecast: 2011-2016 report, Ovum's independent telecoms analyst finds that enterprise shipments of Windows Phone smartphones in the Asia-Pacific will reach 1.1 million in 2016, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37 per cent from the predicted 236,000 units it will sell by end of this year.

By comparison, BlackBerry may grow from 638,000 units from the end of this year to reach 1.1 million at the end of 2016, a CAGR of 12 per cent.

While the iPhone will see an increase in ownerships due to the consumerisation effect, its projected 455,000 units by end of 2016 falls far behind the two leaders. Analysts say it will achieve a CAGR of 19 per cent from the 189,000 it will reach at the end of this year.

According to Ovum, these numbers are attributed to business-supplied phones and do not include consumer-owned phones.

Ovum says the majority of companies in the Asia-Pacific do not provide mobile devices to their employees. The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy is already a reality in the region. However, rather than aiming at improving end-user satisfaction this is driven primarily by cost constraints.

Ms Pauline Trotter, Ovum principal analyst, says: "The business smartphone market in the Asia-Pacific will see significant growth over the next five years, with shipments rising from 2.5 million at the end of this year, to 4.5 million in 2016, a CAGR of 12 per cent.

"The demand is being driven by the need to support business applications on hand-held devices, as enterprises adopt more flexible working patterns and continue to support employees away from the workplace."

Ms Trotter adds: "BlackBerry will remain the overall leader for the forecast period as its strong device management and security capabilities make it a favourite with IT departments.

"However, reflecting trends in the consumer smartphone market, Windows Phone and other OS devices will make significant gains. Ongoing improvements in manageability of these device platforms, and support for more business applications, will begin to make these devices much more appealing to enterprise buyers."

Android phones will have a CAGR of 28 per cent, adds the report. AGENCIES