Businesses warm to mobile data

Business may be warming to the use of mobile data, BlackBerry developer Research In Motion (RIM) has claimed.

The company said the market as a whole has begun to boom over the last two quarters, and seen rapid adoption of the BlackBerry device.

"Companies have starting out using mobile data for just email and personal information management functions," said Rick Constanzo, vice president for commercial relations in Europe.

"We've had clients who've seen return on investment within weeks from that and then they move on to become more serous users.

"If you'll forgive the Canadian expression, we're seeing hockey stick growth across the whole market now; things may have dipped but now they are shooting up."

Steve Brazier, chief executive of comms analyst firm Canalys, said: "Everything is in the eye of the beholder. Compared with the smartphone market you wouldn't say RIM was doing that well.

"But there is clear evidence that they are winning large corporate deals."

Figures released by the Mobile Data Association earlier this month showed businesses making up less than 10 per cent of mobile data customers, with the consumer sector providing the vast majority of traffic.

"In the last quarter [RIM] shipped 45,000 units compared with Nokia's 1.7 million smartphones," added Brazier.