Nokia-Microsoft Ready To Buy RIM?

BlackBerry maker RIM has been down on its luck over the last few months. However, it now seems that new partners Microsoft and Nokia could be interested in buying the Canadian telecoms firm.



Since Nokia and Microsoft teamed up and released their first smartphone, the Lumia 800, the two firms seem to have regained some of their confidence as market heavyweights. Meanwhile, Research in Motion has reported disappointing financial results for 2011 and has seen its share price fall, losing 80% in value in the course of a year. The firm is also facing tough competition from Asian mobile phone makers. Rivalled by Apple and Android handsets in particular, the BlackBerry is losing ground in today's smartphone market, and the firm's PlayBook tablet can hardly be considered a success.

RIM's woes seem to have given Nokia and Microsoft a few ideas, as according to the Wall Street Journal, the pair are considering making an offer to buy the Canadian phone manufacturer, which has an estimated market capitalisation of around $7 billion. Amazon—keen to develop a cross-device strategy to increase visibility of its products and services—is apparently thinking of making an offer too. However, while RIM is certainly having its difficulties, the firm is still turning over a profit. It also owns a good few patents and has a highly interesting client portfolio.

RIM recently announced that it wouldn't be discussing any potential offers until after the launch of the new range of BlackBerry 10 handsets (running on the QNX platform), scheduled for 2012. The firm went on to confirm that its new OS already has several partners to work with, including Samsung. This kind of cross-brand platform has already proved successful in the mobile market, so it could mark a turning point for RIM.

On the back of these rumours, RIM's share price rose by 10% on the New York stock exchange.

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