Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry phone, said subscribers in the Americas are facing service delays, the second disruption in less than a week. Engineers are working to resolve the breakdown, according to an e-mailed statement today from the Waterloo, Ontario-based company. RIM spokeswoman Tenille Kennedy didn’t immediately respond to phone calls or return an e-mail message seeking comment.
BlackBerry service also was disrupted Dec. 17 in North America, where RIM gets about two-thirds of its revenue. RIM aims to fend off competition from Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Motorola Inc.’s Droid with new, feature-laden versions of the Storm and the Bold, and by selling more devices through discount retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
RIM’s BlackBerry Curve was the top consumer smart phone in the U.S. in the third quarter as price cuts fueled sales, according to research firm NPD Group Inc. Apple’s iPhone 3GS and 3G took second and third place.
