Instant message: BB is here to stay

The Caribbean remains a stronghold for BlackBerry and any suggestion that the Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company is on its last legs is false.

“BlackBerry is not going out of business . . . . We are here to stay,” declared head of sales and marketing for Blackberry in the Caribbean, Richard Burey.

Addressing Digicel Barbados Limited’s Cocktails By The Sea reception last Wednesday night at The Lone Star Restaurant, Mount Standfast, St James, Burey said his organisation had billions of dollars in the bank and had “managed effectively and efficiently our expenses. Nowadays when I introduce myself I get one of two looks; confused or concerned. The confused look is usually ‘BlackBerry? Aren’t you guys out of business?’ To be honest that’s usually in the United States. The Caribbean is still a stronghold for BlackBerry as is Canada and the UK. So, especially Barbados, thank you for your business. We appreciate it,” he said.

“The other look I get is concern, and that comes from my family, my friends, [and] partners wondering what’s going on at BlackBerry. ‘Your stocks dropped, your shares dropped. Are you guys going to be viable? If I do nothing else tonight, nobody here can leave this room confused or concerned or else I will be charged with gross negligence.

“You need to understand BlackBerry is not going out of business. We have got billions of dollars in the bank and we have managed effectively and efficiently our expenses, so we are here to stay.”  

Speaking at the same event, Digicel (Barbados) Limited business solutions director Martin Keogh, said Digicel diversification into business solutions was paying off.

“Today, Digicel Business employs more than 400 dedicated ICT professionals and this rate is growing at a rapid pace, in keeping with our commercial success. Today, we deliver a comprehensive range of unified communications solutions, for business of all sizes, making Digicel a one stop shop,” he said. (SC)