Three of the top U.S. cellphone carriers signaled this week that they
would support Research In Motion's BlackBerry 10 products, the first of
which are due to be unveiled Jan 30, offering a hopeful sign for RIM's
comeback effort.
Executives at Verizon Communications, AT&T Inc
and T-Mobile USA all said they are looking forward to the devices, which
will be crucial for RIM's chances of regaining lost ground from rivals
such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.
"We're hopeful its
going to be a good device," Lowell McAdam, chief executive of Verizon
Communications, majority owner of the biggest U.S. mobile service
Verizon Wireless.
"We'll carry it," McAdam said in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
BlackBerry
10 is RIM's next-generation mobile operating platform and it is
preparing to launch new smartphones later this month. Word that major
carriers will offer the devices is good news for RIM.
RIM, which
once commanded the lead in the smartphone market, has rapidly lost
ground to Apple's iPhone and Samsung's line of Galaxy products,
especially in North American and European markets, as customers abandon
its aging BlackBerry devices.
It has been testing the new BlackBerry 10 devices with carriers so they can assess their compatibility with networks.
No. 4 U.S. mobile provider T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, also plans to carry the new BlackBerry 10.
"We're
extremely optimistic that it's going to be a successful product and our
business customers are extremely interested in it," Chief Executive
John Legere said.
AT&T has promised to support the BlackBerry
10 platform, according to Chief Marketing Officer David Christopher, but
he would not discuss specific devices.
However, AT&T handset executive Jeff Bradley made it clear that the No. 2 U.S. mobile operator would carry the phone.
"It's
logical to expect our current (BlackBerry) customers will have the best
BlackBerry devices to choose from in the future," Bradley said.
© Thomson Reuters 2012