Telecom Lead America: BlackBerry’s BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 are set to become the lifeline of 4G / LTE operators in America, Europe and the Middle East.
One day after the launch of the 4G-enabled smartphones, several operators — in the Middle East, America, Europe and Canada — announced their support to BlackBerry Z10 and Q10.
EE of the UK launched Blackberry Z10 smartphone powered by BlackBerry 10 for consumer and business customers.
The BlackBerry Z10 will be available on EE’s 4G service via the EE online shop, EE telesales and EE retail stores from tomorrow. It will be available across a range of 4GEE price plans, and is £49.99 on a £41 per month 24 month package, with users receiving 1GB of mobile data, as well as unlimited UK calls and texts.
For small business customers, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on 4GEE from £41.67 on a £30 per month 24 month package, with users receiving 1GB of mobile data, as well as 1,000 UK calls and text. Medium and corporate business customers will also have a choice of 4GEE plans to suit their needs.
Paul Jevons, director of Products and Devices, EE, said: “The Z10 has been designed with 4G in mind and when combined with the UK’s only superfast 4G network, BlackBerry 10 becomes one of the most advanced connected platforms on the market – allowing customers to download content, email and share files in a way they haven’t been able to on a BlackBerry smartphone before.”
Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Global Smartphone Business at RIM, said: “The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone delivers a powerful new platform for BlackBerry customers. Combined with the 4G network and service plans from EE, BlackBerry Z10 customers will be delighted with a re-invented communication experience, seamless multitasking, easy access to multiple social networks, and the peace of mind that BlackBerry security gives them.”
In addition to speeds, customers with a BlackBerry Z10 smartphone on a 4GEE price plan will also benefit from: EE Film – the UK film service that features 2-for-1 on cinema tickets; A discount on EE superfast fiber broadband – so they can get blistering speeds at home and on the move.
The BlackBerry Z10 will also be available on the UK’s 3G network from Orange and T-Mobile across a range of plans including £49.99 on a £36 per month, 24 month plan. For business customers, the Z10 will also be available on Orange and T-Mobile from £15 a month with an upfront fee of £166.67.
EE also plans to launch BlackBerry Q10 smartphone as well.
Virgin Mobile Canada said the BlackBerry Z10 will be available starting February 5.
“The hot new BlackBerry Z10 is the fastest and most powerful one yet and we can’t wait for our Members to have the chance to get their hands on it,” said Andrew Bridge, managing director, Virgin Mobile Canada. “Plus, with Virgin Mobile, Members get super-fast LTE speeds and access to the latest Member benefits like deals on the latest fashions from H&M and travel discounts with Flight Centre!”
AT&T announced plans to offer the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones.
Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices and Developer Services, AT&T Mobility, said: “The new BlackBerry 10 platform is a fresh take on today’s smartphones with all the key features BlackBerry fanatics need, including a refreshed version of RIM’s unbeatable email solution, a better browser experience and easy access to all their messages in BlackBerry Hub.”
The BlackBerry Z10 will be the first BlackBerry smartphone to run on AT&T 4G LTE, part of the nation’s largest 4G network covering 288 million people.
MTS Russia said the new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is expected to be available to MTS customers in March 2013.
“With the highly-anticipated BlackBerry 10 platform, the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone will join MTS’s lineup of LTE-enabled devices,” said MTS President Kelvin Shepherd.
BlackBerry Z10 customers will have access to the MTS 4G LTE Network which offers download speeds of up to 75 Mbps in Manitoba. Customers will also benefit from 185 MTS Wi-Fi hotspots across Manitoba.
Sprint plans to carry the new BlackBerry Q10 smartphone later this year. This device will benefit from Truly Unlimited 4G LTE data.
“Sprint and RIM have been strong partners for more than a dozen years, and we have an extremely loyal base of BlackBerry customers who will appreciate the features of the new BlackBerry 10 platform,” said David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint.
