Press Release

October 7, 2002

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 Now Available

New BlackBerry Enterprise Server Goes Beyond Wireless Email With Corporate Data Access Capabilities And Adds Advanced Management Features

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced a major new release of BlackBerry Enterprise Server software. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 goes beyond wireless email by providing in-house software developers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) with a powerful platform for extending corporate data wirelessly and securely. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 also provides IT departments with new advanced management features that simplify the deployment and ongoing administration of BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds™. With this new release of BlackBerry Enterprise Server software, an IT department can easily and effectively manage its BlackBerry™ wireless solution and leverage existing technology investments to provide end users with wireless access to corporate data applications beyond email.

"The new corporate data access features supported in BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 demonstrate the extensibility of the BlackBerry platform and provide a secure, standards-based architecture to support additional wireless enterprise applications beyond email," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "In addition to increasing corporate data access and interaction capabilities for our customers, this major software release also enables IT departments to implement, upgrade, manage and scale their BlackBerry hardware and software deployments with greater ease."

Key features introduced with BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 include extended corporate data access capabilities and advanced IT management capabilities such as simplified software deployment for desktop and handheld software, remote handheld disable commands and expanded IT policy capabilities.

NEW CORPORATE DATA ACCESS CAPABILITIES

New corporate data access capabilities supported by the BlackBerry platform enable wireless device connectivity via standard protocols and languages while maintaining the solid architectural components that already allowed BlackBerry to succeed with thousands of companies and government organizations that wanted a secure, manageable and complete wireless email solution behind their firewall. BlackBerry customers can leverage the existing, approved BlackBerry architecture and security model to deploy additional wireless enterprise applications without any additional infrastructure to learn or support. The new corporate data access features maintain the key characteristics of existing BlackBerry deployments including end-to-end security (with Triple DES encryption), data push capabilities, multi-network support and centralized management.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 now includes a powerful feature called Mobile Data Service that enables corporate data access and offers increased flexibility and opportunities for developers, carriers and enterprise customers:

• ISVs and in-house corporate developers can work effectively with standard protocols and languages to expedite their application development while also avoiding the overhead and complexities associated with acquiring and managing their own connections into multiple wireless networks.
• Carriers benefit from the ability to offer additional wireless data services that take advantage of new packet-data networks and help acquire and retain corporate customers.
• Enterprise customers can extend the strategic and productivity benefits of BlackBerry beyond wireless email and phone services by leveraging the BlackBerry platform along with applications, infrastructure and services from leading companies such as BEA Systems, Inc., HP, IBM Global Services and Siebel Systems, Inc.

"RIM's corporate data access products and the BEA platform use standard protocols and enable IT departments to easily deliver wireless applications", said Adam Bosworth, Senior Vice President, and Chief Architect at BEA Systems. "Together, RIM and BEA can provide an extensible mobile platform that utilizes existing corporate architectures."

"The new BlackBerry Enterprise Server software coupled with the infrastructure HP is putting in place provides IT managers with cost-effective wireless printing solutions that deliver strong productivity benefits," said Helen Carter, Connectivity Marketing Manager for HP Imaging and Printing. "Corporate data access helps companies leverage their existing wireless and HP document environments for simple access and printing of information on the go."

"Corporate data access enables companies to leverage their existing BlackBerry wireless and IBM infrastructure environments to easily retrieve and use information on the go," said Don Lopes, Vice President of Wireless Business Development at IBM Global Services. "By combining IBM's strength in business transformation and integration with RIM's leadership in mobile solutions, businesses can wirelessly extend their enterprise resource planning data, improve customer relationships and increase productivity with a wireless automated supply chain."

"Siebel eBusiness Applications customers are now able to easily deploy Siebel Wireless applications utilizing the BlackBerry end-to-end secure infrastructure offered by BlackBerry Enterprise Server," said Brian Stone, Senior Director Product Marketing at Siebel Systems. "The power of Siebel-driven real-time dispatch and response combined with BlackBerry enables Siebel Sales and Siebel Service customers to remove barriers to field productivity while increasing end user adoption for field automation."

KEY FEATURES - CORPORATE DATA ACCESSS:

Standard Protocol Connectivity: The new Mobile Data Service feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 provides standards-based connectivity via the BlackBerry infrastructure including support for HTTP, TCP/IP and UDP protocols. This minimizes the need for developers to learn or apply new connectivity techniques and allows new or existing corporate applications to be easily extended to BlackBerry handhelds.

Standard Language Support: The new Mobile Data Service feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 is designed with efficient native language support for XML, WML and cHTML and also supports the use of plug-in transcoders for other languages. By utilizing the standard mark-up languages for client interaction, Mobile Data Service reduces the need for customization when creating content for display and interaction on BlackBerry handhelds.

High Data Security: As an integrated component of BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5, Mobile Data Service leverages the same highly secure BlackBerry architecture that is available for wireless email. Only devices authenticated to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server may access the Mobile Data Service feature and corporate data is exchanged via the same (Triple DES) encrypted connection between the handheld and the server behind the corporate firewall. As a result, Mobile Data Service leverages the same security model that has already been approved and deployed by the thousands of organizations currently operating BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Data Push Support: The new Mobile Data Service feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 supports the ability to push information to BlackBerry handhelds. Push capability and always-on handhelds are fundamental to supporting wireless enterprise applications. Information is delivered to the handheld as it becomes available rather than waiting for the user to initiate data exchange and download.

Multi-Network Support: BlackBerry Enterprise Server supports multiple wireless networks and BlackBerry handhelds. BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5, equipped with Mobile Data Service, can support an organization's entire wireless corporate data access needs through a single, consistent architecture and simplify the deployment and management of wireless data applications.

BlackBerry Browser: The BlackBerry browser is dual-purposed allowing it to securely access corporate data via Mobile Data Service as well as carrier content services and gateways. The BlackBerry browser supports standard WML, HTML and XML based content and HTTP/HTTPS connectivity to BlackBerry Enterprise Server. With Mobile Data Service and the BlackBerry browser, customers are provided with the front-end and back-end tools necessary for wireless enterprise applications.

KEY FEATURES - ADVANCED MANAGEMENT FEATURES:

Simplified Software Deployment: IT administrators are provided with the ability to use standard tools to automatically push BlackBerry Desktop Software to PCs within an organization and pre-configure default user settings. In addition, IT managers will be able to set policies that enforce handheld software upgrades. These features enable IT departments to quickly and cost-effectively install or upgrade BlackBerry software.

Wireless Handheld Disable Commands: The BlackBerry wireless solution already meets stringent corporate security requirements for email and data through security features such as end-to-end encryption (Triple DES), policy files and handheld passwords. RIM is now also providing corporate customers with a remote control feature that enables IT departments to wirelessly set passwords and lock or erase all data on a BlackBerry handheld. In the event that a user misplaces the BlackBerry handheld or if the handheld is stolen, this new functionality allows IT administrators to further protect company confidential information.

Expanded IT Policy Capabilities: With expanded IT policy capabilities, IT administrators are able to define corporate-wide and group-specific settings and wirelessly push policies to BlackBerry handhelds without the need for users to cradle their handhelds. This feature provides a robust method of maintaining and enforcing policies throughout the company and enables IT managers to easily invoke policies after handhelds have been deployed in the field. For example, this functionality allows IT administrators to enforce a policy that requires passwords of a minimum length be used on all handhelds.

AVAILABILITY

BlackBerry Enterprise Server v3.5 for Microsoft® Exchange is available today and is expected to be available for Lotus® Domino™ environments early next year.*

About Research In Motion (RIM)

Research In Motion Limited is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM's portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry™ wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld™ product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

* Check with service providers for availability.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties of Research In Motion Limited. All other brands, products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks relating to possible product defects and product liability, risks related to international sales and potential foreign currency exchange fluctuations, continued acceptance of RIM's products, increased levels of competition, technological changes, dependence on intellectual property rights and other risks detailed from time to time in RIM's periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.