ComScore estimated that BlackBerry, which is owned by RIM, had around 3.5 million subscribers in May.
However, the Canada-based firm said the estimates were off by almost half. Indeed, RIM claims "just under 7 seven million subscribers" for May.
One analyst at a rival research firm told the Independent: "It is unusual that a spat like this becomes public.
"We'd be surprised if BlackBerry was fourth in the UK, it is performing very well over here. The market is a shining light."
In other industry news, it has been suggested that the number of smartphones sold by 2016 could reach one billion.
Juniper Research said that sales of handsets will surge by 230 per cent, up from the 302 million sold last year.
Posted by Andre Dixon
