A sign of Research in Motion (RIM) is seen at its headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, January 22, 2012. REUTERS/Geoff Robins

LONDON (Reuters) - BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is considering splitting its business in two, separating its struggling handset manufacturing division from its messaging network, The Sunday Times reported.

RIM, which last month said it had hired JP Morgan and RBC Capital to look at its strategic options, could break off its handset division into a separate listed company or sell it, the British newspaper reported without citing sources.

Potential buyers would include Amazon and Facebook, it reported, adding that RIM’s messaging network could also be sold, or opened up to rivals such as Apple and Google to generate income.

An alternative option would be to keep the company together but sell a stake to a larger technology firm such as Microsoft, the newspaper said.