Indonesia, a BlackBerry Nation?

With more than 3 million users, BlackBerry is one of the most popular smartphones in Indonesia. It accounts for 6 percent of the entire BlackBerry user base (50 million). From observation, people varying from young to old, man or woman, corporate or even a minibus driver, are using Blackberry. In fact, we are easier to reach through social media or BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) than text or phone call.

Mobile application is also on the rise as more Indonesians embrace the BlackBerry AppWorld. “There’s an interesting development within the Blackberry AppWorld. More people are downloading fun apps, which could indicate that the number of  Blackberry app users is growing larger in numbers” said Almaujudy, co-founder at Better-B, a BlackBerry app development firm.

Better-B had also jointly organized a concert with RIM’s support, which included Korean band 2PM, Shontelle, Taio Cruz and Suede as performers.

“We found that there’s a maximum number of 10 apps downloaded per user because the older version of Blackberry can’t support too many applications. However with this year’s new release, the specifications are getting closer to Android and iPhone which could support more apps. I believe more downloads will soon follow,” Almaujudy added.

As a Blackberry user, I can understand the pain of having limited apps in the phone. We envy our iPhone peers on that. However, one strong reason that kept BlackBerry users going is the strong network of friends established on BBM over the years. BBM is the one platform that most of my friends & colleagues are using. To stop using BlackBerry is akin to shutting down one’s Facebook account.

The usefulness of BBM is highlighted as we previously shared how a group of Indonesian moms used BBM as a channel to organize events, share knowledge and set up appointments. A BlackBerry mobile app was also introduced for Indonesians to help raise fund for Japan. Lastly, a group of undergrads from Singapore also concluded from their research that mobile is one of the ‘next big things‘ in Indonesia and BlackBerry is certainly playing a pivotal role in it.

Does that make Indonesia a Blackberry nation? Let us know your thoughts.