Microsoft-Nokia deal further threatens ailing BlackBerry as potential buyer disappears

Microsoft likely to make a greater push into BlackBerry's enterprise niche with Nokia phones

BlackBerry could be further hit by Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia, as the deal removes one of the front runners to step in and save the ailing smartphone maker. Microsoft is also likely to aggressively target the enterprise firms that make up BlackBerry's key customer base.

The news that Microsoft is to acquire Nokia's mobile business unit effectively ends speculation that the software giant might snap up all or part of BlackBerry. The Canadian firm has been going through a rough patch for the past few years, but still has a significant number of enterprise customers using its server platform, and some industry observers believed that an acquisition would make sense for Microsoft.

BlackBerry has already begun exploring strategic alternatives for its future, should its ambitious relaunch plans based around the BlackBerry 10 platform not pay off. These include offering up all or part of the company for acquisition, or selling off BlackBerry's intellectual property (IP) it has around mobile devices and wireless communications.

However, with Microsoft instead choosing to buy up Nokia's handset business, BlackBerry is instead likely to face increased competition, as Microsoft is likely to make a more determined push for the same enterprise customers with Windows Phone, according to Gartner analyst Caroline Milanesi.

"In case there was still hope out there for Blackberry, this is pretty much it. Microsoft will be more aggressive than Nokia in pursuing enterprises," she stated.

Microsoft's Windows Phone platform has also now passed BlackBerry to take third position in the market behind Android and Apple, according to earlier figures published by Gartner, which makes the smartphone market increasingly appear to be a three horse race.

However, one BlackBerry executive has stated that the firm could quite easily survive as a niche player in the mobile market, rather than trying to take on the market leaders.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, newly-elected BlackBerry director Bert Nordberg said that BlackBerry is strong in the enterprise market, thanks to its secure email platform, and could continue to capitalise on that.

"I think BlackBerry is able to survive as a niche company. But being a niche company means deciding to be a niche company. Historically, BlackBerry has had larger ambitions. But battling giants like Apple, Google and Samsung is tough," he told the WSJ.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft move and the Vodafone-Verizon sale appears to show that money for mergers and acquisitions is starting to flow again in the tech industry, and BlackBerry could yet find a white knight to help take the company forwards.

There is no shortage of alternative buyers, with some speculators listing HP, IBM and Chinese company Lenovo as potential suitors. However, HP was somewhat burnt by its purchase of Palm back in 2010, and any move by Lenovo to buy up BlackBerry would almost certainly run into difficulties because of the number of US government departments that still use BlackBerry technology.