According to a new report from Bomble based on an email sent to Senate staffers, BlackBerry smartphones will no longer be issued within Senate once the remaining supplies have been exhausted. As the email notes, "BlackBerry informed Verizon and AT&T that production of all BlackBerry OS 10 devices (Q10, Z10, Z30, Passport, and Classic) has been discontinued" while also noting "Future carrier order fulfillment will not be guaranteed due to limited remaining stock."
The email goes on to highlight that while new device procurements will be limited, BlackBerry device support will continue for the foreseeable future and that BlackBerry is committed to maintaining their support of Senate devices to include uninterrupted warranty and technical support but the one highlight there being questioned by many in the CrackBerry Forums is the mention of BlackBerry informing Verizon and AT&T that production has been discontinued. To clarify that part, we reached out to BlackBerry and here's what they had to say.
The statement about discontinuation of BlackBerry 10 at AT&T and Verizon is incorrect.
BlackBerry's device strategy is based on a cross-platform model where we'll continue to support our BlackBerry 10 platform while expanding our device offering to include Android-based devices. We are focused on software updates for BlackBerry 10, with version 10.3.3 scheduled for next month, and a second update to follow next year.
Similar to many other device makers, we are changing the lineup of smartphones as we innovate and advance our portfolio. And, we are updating our smartphone lineup with state of the art devices. As part of this, and after many successful years in the market, we have informed our US carriers that the manufacturing cycle of only our BlackBerry Classic will cease. However, we have informed our customers to check with their respective carrier for device availability or purchase Classic unlocked online. We continue to actively support sales of our BlackBerry 10 smartphones to customers in most markets. And for customers choosing our Android device as their next smartphone, there will be a seamless transition without any compromise to the security of their mobile platform or operations.
We believe that being truly cross platform – which includes support for BB10, Android, iOS and Windows Phone – will allow us to best serve our customers across the world.
As I'm sure most would agree, the move by Senate is not really surprising but as BlackBerry notes, they're continuing to support BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry 10 customers. The Senate news changes nothing in that area. In lighter news, we now know BlackBerry 10.3.3 is scheduled for next month as well.
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