Research in Motion raised its forecast for subscriber additions in the current quarter but warned its profit will come in near the bottom of its previous expectations.
New product introductions contributed to record levels of net subscriber-account additions throughout December, as the BlackBerry maker also enjoyed a successful holiday sales surge, the company said. The delayed and hotly anticipated BlackBerry Storm debuted to long lines and sellouts in late November. Following the holidays, new subscriber additions have continued to exceed the company’s expectations, though RIM expects the gains to become more normal next month.
On Wednesday, RIM raised its earlier forecast of net subscriber-account additions for the fourth quarter, ending Feb. 28, by 20 per cent. On Dec. 18, it had forecast 2.9 million net additions for the quarter. RIM also said it expects revenue for the quarter to be at or near the midpoint of the company’s previous guidance. The December forecast called for fourth-quarter revenue between US$3.3 billion and US$3.5 billion.
The subscriber growth news came as a rare ray of light in a mobile industry that looks gloomy and uncertain heading into 2009. Overall handset sales plunged 10 per cent in the fourth quarter, according to ABI Research. Nokia, the largest mobile-phone maker, said Wednesday it would close an R&D facility and lay off about 320 people from it as a result of falling sales. Nokia sold 15 per cent fewer phones in 2008’s fourth quarter compared with a year earlier. But major mobile operators have reported subscriber gains and rising revenue from mobile data services.