Emtek Closes BBM Service As of May 31, 2019

Emtek officially announced the discontinuation of the BBM application as of May 31, 2019. The inability to increase the number of active users was allegedly the main cause. The Emtek party we contacted refused to inform us about the next clause between Emtek and BlackBerry.

Emtek and BlackBerry partnership begins 2016 year when BlackBerry Limited granted the BBM Consumer license to Emtek through Creative Media Works Pte. Ltd (CMW) with an initial value of $207,5 million for the long term. Emtek wants to push BBM into a company great app, such as WeChat in China, which is central to consumer activity for smartphone use.

Less than three years later, BBM services for consumers had to end.

In official statement, Emtek said, "Three years ago, we started the journey to renew BBM. [..] However, it is undeniable that the technology industry is very dynamic. Despite our efforts, many users choose to switch to other platforms, while new users find it difficult obtained. Even though it's hard, now the time has come for us to move on."

According to the 2018 financial report, Emtek suffered a net loss of Rp2,62 trillion due to the write-off of CMW's goodwill of Rp1,97 trillion. Previously, in March, BBM ensure closing of offices in Canada and Singapore.

Introducing BBMe

Users are now directed to download the BBM Enterprise (BBMe) application which is already available on Google Play. The App Store version will follow soon. This application will be available free for the first year, then a six-month subscription fee of US$2,49 (almost Rp35 thousand) will be charged.

BBMe has more or less the same concept as BBM, sending encrypted messages automatically end-to-end with enterprise standards.

"While we respect Emtek's decision, we deeply regret that the platform did not perform and develop as we hoped. After much deliberation, we have decided that BBM loyal users should still have a secure and trustworthy order delivery platform," said BlackBerry CMO Mark Wilson. in an official statement.

Wilson guarantees that his party will not monetize user data so that the service will not ask for phone numbers, suggest contacts to users, and do not track user locations.

In terms of features, BBMe is not as rich as BBM developed by Emtek. No features channel, enhanced group, sticker, or shop. BBMe tends to be aimed at those who care about data security and user privacy.

"This service only requires an email address to register, unlike other applications," explained Wilson.