Research In Motion (RIM) is poised to launch a series of new products in the Caribbean, calling The Bahamas a key "stronghold" in an otherwise shaky marketplace.
Two new devices - the BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220 - will be available by the end of June. Meanwhile, on their very first stop on a Caribbean tour, top RIM executives revealed that the second generation of its tablet device, the PlayBook 2, is set for release by summer's end.
While the Caribbean has 1.6 million active BlackBerry users, The Bahamas offers "the single biggest opportunity for growth", according to Sean Killen, the director for the region.
The comment comes as the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) continues to pour tens of millions into its 4G network, new retail outlets throughout the country and other infrastructure upgrades to boost efficiency.
BTC was privatized last year, when Cable and Wireless Communications bought a 51 percent stake for $204 million.
What it adds up to, Killen said, is a friendly growth market for the struggling multinational.
"This market is the biggest opportunity for growth. In some places in the Caribbean, they have smartphones already. Here, it's really just starting to take hold," the RIM executive explained. "We consider the Caribbean and Latin America to be strongholds. There are a couple markets globally that are the foundation for RIM right now, and holding everything up as we move towards BlackBerry 10 and the new operating system."
RIM is banking on BlackBerry 10 sparking a resurgence for the struggling company on the international stage. As iPhone and Google snatch up market share, RIM's earnings and stock price have taken a bashing in recent months.

The firm's fiscal fourth quarter results, released at the end of March, showed the company lost $125 million before adjustments on revenue of $4.2 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, revenue fell 19 percent, and it shipped 21 percent fewer smartphones.
Also at the end of March, Jim Balsillie resigned as CEO, prompting a series of high-profile departures by other senior executives.
The Canadian group has warned of an operating loss so far this year, and reportedly hired JP Morgan and RBC Capital to carry out a strategic review of the firm.
Killen told Guardian Business that RIM certainly has its share of "challenges" going forward. But for the Caribbean, he reported "the best fourth quarter we've ever had". While he couldn't reveal specifics for the first quarter, he said that the Caribbean "is seeing an increase over last year".
Killen remains confident that BlackBerry will realize major growth in the region before and after the launch of the BlackBerry 10.
The new BlackBerry Curve 9320 and 9220 come with a number of upgrades, he explained. The model features the longest battery life yet, coming in at seven hours of talking time. A new dedicated BBM key has been included to consolidate and provide added support for the mobile social media network. A pre-loaded Social Feeds 2.0 also allows customers to post updates to multiple social networks simultaneously and capture updates from news sources, social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view, according to RIM.
Pictures taken with the Curve 9320 can be tagged with their location thanks to the smartphone's built-in GPS.
Perhaps one of the more unusual features, however, is the built-in FM radio.
Understanding the significance of radio to The Bahamas, the RIM executive said he "fought for" this feature in the Caribbean market, which does not require a data plan to enjoy.
"One of the things we pushed for is FM radio," he told Guardian Business.
"It wasn't a big deal to the North American market, but myself and my VP would not let it go, and it made it into the device."
Killen said the new phones also provide superior internet browsing, utilizing the new 7.1 platform and making it "extremely fast".
As for the PlayBook 2, its summer launch will indeed be the first BlackBerry tablet device offered to the Caribbean, which will function under the new BTC 4G network.
Killen dispelled the notion that BlackBerry was simply retreating to its roots as a corporate product. He said the upgrades to the Curve, the PlayBook 2 and the upcoming BlackBerry 10 represent the vision of the new CEO, Thorsten Heins, who insists the company has not abandoned the everyday consumer market.
Particularly in places like The Bahamas, the retail and corporate markets are still growing in parallel, he said.
"Here, I would say we are mostly consumer based. We hadn't done new development on enterprise in a while, and our CEO thought we should focus on doing some innovative things in enterprise. We just need development in enterprise because we hadn't done it in a long time," Killen added. "But I wouldn't say RIM is going to abandon the consumer market at all."

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian