Troubled smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry can survive as a niche player in the mobile devices market, according to a member of the Canadian firm's board.
In an interview published by The Wall Street Journal, newly elected BlackBerry director Bert Nordberg said: "If you look at BlackBerry's book value versus its market value, it's clear that there's lots of work to do."
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Nordberg, who's previously served as CEO of Sony Ericsson, admitted that the market is tough for BlackBerry and its strategic review could see the company tighten its focus in an attempt to turn fortunes around.
BlackBerry has seen its share of the smartphone market fall to just 2.7 per cent, putting it in fourth place behind Microsoft.
"I think BlackBerry is able to survive as a niche company. But being a niche company means deciding to be a niche company. Historically, BlackBerry has had larger ambitions. But battling giants like Apple, Google and Samsung is tough," Nordberg said.
However, Nordberg believes despite having lost a significant share of the market to the likes of Google, Apple and Microsoft, BlackBerry still has a lot to offer, especially in terms of features which set it apart from the competition.
"BlackBerry's unique assets make it stand apart from other phone makers," he said.
"BlackBerry is strong on the enterprise business, its products are NSA-proof in the sense that you can't intercept their communication, its handsets' keyboards have many fans around the globe, and the company has a leading worldwide data network," Nordberg added.
