Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the Blackberry brand, plans a massive boost in its Indonesian presence to capitalise on the country’s rising demand for smartphones.

RIM plans to reach a store count of 4000 to be consisted of flagship stores, store-in-stores and kiosks in Indonesia. Currently, there are just four Blackberry stores in the country.

Blackberry’s ability to allow users to send instant messages for free is driving high demand for the handsets among Indonesians.

RIM’s Asia head Gregory Wade said that Indonesia is the ‘proving ground’ for an expansion across Southeast Asia.

Blackberry’s Southeast Asian expansion is also triggered by the slumping demand in the US where Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android dominate. During the last quarter, its sales in the US dipped 45 per cent to US$1.03 billion.

Last week, Blackberry store opened a 149sqm store in Gandaria City in Jakarta. The store is considered Blackberry’s Asia’s biggest to date.

RIM also eyes Malaysia and Thailand, where it opened its first flagship in Bangkok’s Siam Paragon in a joint venture with a local phone retailer late last year, for further growth.

GB