GSMA 2009 Chairman's Award goes to Research In Motion

The award, which was established in 1995, is the association's most prestigious and recognises outstanding contribution to the growth and development of mobile communications around the world.

Said GSMA chairman Alexander Izosimov on Wednesday night, 17 February 2009, “RIM's commitment to innovation has revolutionised the wireless industry and laid the foundations, which shaped the thriving smart-phone market of today. BlackBerry products and services have changed the way we communicate and interact, making businesses more productive and consumers better connected.”

The recipient of the award, RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie, paid tribute to “the talent and commitment of more than 12 000 RIM employees who are all focused on serving our customers and partners.”

Wireless email solution

RIM was founded by Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO, while a student in Ontario in 1984. Balsillie joined as co-CEO in 1992. RIM launched BlackBerry in 1998 as a wireless email solution. There are now more than 50 million BlackBerry smart phones and the product is still experiencing growth.

Izosimov added, “In my opinion, BlackBerry helped keep the mobile-data flame alive, and it helped the industry justify investment in GPRS and 3G in the face of early scepticism. It's hard to imagine life before BlackBerry. Before the revolution of the BlackBerry ‘push email' service, finding a dial-up and accessing email was a painful experience and RIM's passion for innovation and growth has continued steadily since that game-changing breakthrough. It's an extraordinary story.”

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry in 219 countries. It includes more than 750 of the world's mobile operators, as well as 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem. For more information, go to www.gsmworld.com.