RIM Confirmed That Over 50 Carriers Already Testing BlackBerry 10 Devices

BlackBerry 10, the next-generation mobile operating system coming from Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion, is already being tested by over 50 carriers around the world, the company confirmed on Wednesday.

The handset vendor is determined to make the first devices running under the new platform available for purchase in the first quarter of the next year, and their availability through carriers might be a key factor in their success. In a recent interview with Cnet, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins confirmed that the company had already discussed the availability of BlackBerry 10 devices with wireless carriers worldwide, and that they have started testing them. “I'm very pleased to confirm that we have passed a critical milestone in the development of our brand new mobile computing platform, BlackBerry 10,” he said. “In the last week, BlackBerry 10 achieved Lab Entry with more than 50 carriers -- a key step in our preparedness for the launch of BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013.” Some of the latest reports on RIM’s ability to deliver the new platform suggested that, while made official in the beginning of the next year, the first BlackBerry 10 devices might not arrive on shelves before March 2013.

Thorsten Heins’ statement does not confirm or deny the rumor but, with March being the last month in the first quarter of the year, chances are that it might pan out. Moving forth, the company will get in touch with more operators around the world to provide them with BlackBerry 10 handsets for testing purposes, a move that is part of its commitment to the new OS flavor. “We made this commitment during our recent results conference call and we have delivered. This process will continue in the coming months as more carriers around the world formally evaluate the devices and our brand new software,” Heins continued. At the moment, RIM is focused on building a strong ecosystem for the BlackBerry platform, which is starting to see challenges not only from Android and iOS, the current market leaders, but also from Microsoft’s mobile platform, which has just arrived in a new version, namely Windows Phone 8.

BlackBerry 10
Image credits to RIM

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