Should RIM open up its platform?

Rumour has it that Jim Balsillie wanted to allow networks to use the BlackBerry platform on non-BlackBerry devices in North America and Europe before he quit the company. It sounds like a bold move and one that goes against the ethos of RIM that the network is what makes it unique. There are many valid arguments against RIM wanting to open up its network-

It is more secure than most and thus attracts government and other large organisations.

It is the major selling point of RIM products for most customers.

BBM and other services reliant on the platform are arguably better than most of the competition.

All of the above make sense and it is likely that the seniors within the company will never want to give up the golden egg that is the BlackBerry platform. However, all of the above has not stopped the company losing customers and money over the past year. From a personal point of view, I would love to use BBM on my smartphone and to benefit from the super-quick data transfers a more efficient system would bring me. I would have more choice when deciding what to buy and potentially the best of both worlds- a smartphone that I choose with the benefits of the BlackBerry platform in specific areas.

Just maybe RIM needs to break all of the rules of mobile telecoms and open up to succeed. By doing this, it could benefit from the growing popularity of Android and iOS and become a major player again.