BARCELONA, Spain, February 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- The company behind BlackBerry(R) is recognized for pioneering the
wireless data industry

Research In Motion (RIM) was honoured with the GSMA Chairman's Award last
night at the GSMA's Global Mobile Awards ceremony. This award, established in
1995, is the Association's most prestigious award and recognises outstanding
contribution to the growth and development of mobile communications around
the world.

In his presentation to RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie, GSMA Chairman Alexander
Izosimov stated that, "RIM's commitment to innovation has revolutionized the
wireless industry and laid the foundations which shaped the thriving
smartphone market of today. BlackBerry products and services have changed the
way we communicate and interact, making businesses more productive and
consumers better connected."

On receiving the award, Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of RIM, said, "This award
is a testament to the talent and commitment of more than 12,000 RIM employees
who are all focused on serving our customers and partners. We are more
excited than ever by the opportunities ahead in our industry and we are
honoured to be recognized with the Chairman's Award."

RIM was founded by Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, while a student
in Ontario in 1984 and Jim Balsillie joined as Co-CEO in 1992. RIM launched
the BlackBerry solution ten years ago as a wireless email solution for
enterprise customers and it changed the face of communications. Over the
years, it has evolved into a multifaceted and robust wireless platform that
supports a wide range of communications, information and entertainment
applications for businesses and consumers alike. In recent years, RIM has
brought innovative and popular new devices to market including the
BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM), the BlackBerry(R) Curve(TM), the BlackBerry(R)
Bold(TM) and the BlackBerry(R) Storm(TM), which earned its own award at
Mobile World Congress this year.

RIM has now shipped over 50 million BlackBerry smartphones and continues
to grow at an impressive rate. In fact, in its thirteen years as a public
company, RIM has grown its revenues by a remarkable 170,000%. RIM's
accomplishments in both innovation and business excellence have served the
company and the mobile communications industry well, and RIM is the deserving
recipient of this year's GSMA Chairman's Award.

GSMA Chairman 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."

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications
industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites more than 750 of the
world's mobile operators, as well as 200 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers,
Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is
focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its
membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile
communications industry. For more information, please visit:
www.gsmworld.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are
the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.