The manufacturers of the BlackBerry are seeking to shed its reputation as the tool of the City banker and remodel it as a mass-market mobile after a tie-up with Vodafone.

Analysts hailed the move by Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian maker of the handheld e-mail device, to work with Vodafone on “broader adoption in the consumer segment”, as a significant shift in strategy. The group, which has amassed a 14 million-strong global customer base, has already launched consumer-friendly versions of the device in an array of colours, as well as slick new designs, such as the Curve and Pearl.

It also recently added Facebook, the social networking site, to the applications available on its service. However, its announcement with Vodafone was seen as the most significant indication yet of its ambitions to shake off its reputation as a City-only tool. A further big announcement about the group’s plans for forging into the consumer market is expected this year.

The Vodafone deal is expected to see Vodafone Live!, the group’s flagship consumer service, made available on the BlackBerry. Music and the ability to take high-quality pictures are also expected to be key selling points. Ben Wood, of CCS Insight, the telecoms and technology research group, said: “We believe this is highly significant and may indicate larger moves by RIM to embrace the mass-market consumer opportunity.”

The tie-up comes as customers finally show interest in using their mobile phones for more than simply calling and texting. After years of shunning more lucrative data services, growing numbers are using their handsets to send e-mails and instant messages and to surf the internet.

In November, increasing use of the internet on its mobiles and through laptops led to a surge of nearly 50 per cent, to £1 billion, in the more lucrative data revenues at Vodafone.

The tie-up would also give BlackBerry, which recently raised its forecasts for handset sales in the fourth quarter, more muscle to compete with Apple’s iPhone – the combined mobile, internet browser and music player that was the most-hyped new gadget last year.

However, Mr Wood said that a big push into the consumer space could raise questions about RIM’s pricing. It could not, he said, be seen to be offering the device for a much cheaper price to consumers than to the business market.

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