( CNN ) -- BlackBerry 's loss of market share in the U.S. is the stuff of legends . Last fall , it was estimated only about 2 % of American phone users were still carrying their BlackBerry mobile with its iconic keypad . But consider this : sub-Saharan Africa is expected to add 175 million new mobile users in just the coming 3 years . That 's according to the GSMA , which represents the world 's mobile operators . `` Mobile has already revolutionized African society and yet demand still continues to grow by almost 50 percent a year , '' said Tom Phillips , Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer , GSMA . That could be good news indeed for BlackBerry . Research in Motion , the maker of BlackBerry , estimates it holds a 70 % market share in countries like South Africa . The company 's new phones , announced this week , are not the ones some of its best customers in emerging markets would like to buy . They 're too expensive . But Research in Motion -- which also this week changed its company name to BlackBerry -- is pledging some of its six new models will address that . While millions in China , Europe and the U.S. have adopted Android or iOS smartphones with a vengeance , millions more users in emerging markets are enthused about what 's in store for the new BlackBerry 10 . It 's the update for what many of them are already using . They live in countries like Brazil , Malaysia , Nigeria , Kenya and South Africa . They have embraced the BlackBerry for a combination of factors that all point to the different way mobile devices are used . Unlike their counterparts in Europe and America , the mobile in their pocket is more likely to be their primary link to the internet . BlackBerry Messenger is the connection that allows these users unlimited conversations without paying charges for SMS data . While young , brand-conscious Chinese may be willing to part with several months ' salary to buy the latest iPhone , African users are looking for more practical ( and cheaper ) connections . What separates developed countries from their developing counterparts at street level can be summed up in a single word : infrastructure . Isobel Coleman , senior fellow and Director of the Civil Society , Markets and Democracy Initiative at the Council on Foreign Relations , says mobile technology has proved it can bridge the gap where infrastructure is lacking . `` It 's a culture , it 's an economy , it 's innovation , education , healthcare , it 's all of these things , '' says Coleman . You can take that to the bank . For many Africans , their cell phone account is the first bank account they 've ever owned . In emerging markets , mobile phone banking is growing because of the lack of infrastructure . Fewer bank branches often mean long distances to travel and long lines once you 've arrived . Africans are expected to transfer more than $ 200 billion per year or 18 % of the continent 's GDP by 2015 . Oh , and that keyboard . No matter where you are in the world , there will always be a demand for a keyboard that clicks . The company appears to understand that as BlackBerry 10 models come with both soft keypads and the traditional BlackBerry buttons . I asked some of my Twitter followers to weigh in on the BlackBerry 10 roll out . While some said Android or Apple 's iOS were in their future plans , many others expressed continued enthusiasm for the BlackBerry . Soji , a pianist and teacher in Nigeria tweeted back `` I 'm falling in love with this BB . Cheaper to own . '' From Kuala Lumpur , Amir wrote `` I need a physical keyboard to type while also having a touch-screen for photos etc . Security factor also important . '' Hans-Eric from South Africa reinforced the sentiments of many mobile users in emerging markets : `` The cost of data is simply too high without it ( BlackBerry . ) '' The voices from emerging markets could n't have been clearer . What they expect from BlackBerry 10 is a stronger , longer lasting battery , durability and continued low cost connectivity . CFR 's Coleman agrees that BlackBerry ( and anyone else ) trying to win and hold this mobile device sector has to understand how these devices are being used and give the customers what they want . `` Cheap . Rugged . Not too many bells and whistles . Practical . '' There is little doubt smartphones are changing the way people use the internet , how they bank , shop and interact socially . But it 's worth keeping in perspective that in a world where there are now an estimated 1 billion smartphones , there are 5 billion feature phone users . That 's a lot of upside growth potential for BlackBerry and all the other players out there .
CNN sales have slumped in the U.S. but is still strong in emerging markets . New models launched should remember why they are popular in developing world . In places like Brazil and U.S. , the 175 million is the update to their current phone . in Sub-Saharan Africa there is expected to be 10 new customers in several months ' .