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TORONTO - Embattled Canadian smartphone-maker BlackBerry announced Thursday it would begin selling unlocked smartphones to U.S. customers in hopes to get its product into the hands of more consumers.
U.S. customers will be able to purchase an unlocked BlackBerry Z10 or Q10 smartphone directly from the company online, allowing customers to use the phone on any GSM-based 4G and 4G LTE network.
'Our first two breakthrough BlackBerry 10 smartphones are the first to be launched, and we expect to make additional BlackBerry smartphones available on an unlocked basis in the U.S., as well as other markets around the world,' said Robert Perry, vice president, Global Retail at BlackBerry, in a press release.
Previously the Waterloo, Ont.-based company sold only accessories through its online store.
The decision may be due to a slow adoption of BlackBerry 10 devices in the U.S. market and overall dismal sales of the smartphone-maker's newest generation of products.
In September, BlackBerry revealed it lost US$965 million in the second quarter after revenue plunged 49 per cent from a year earlier. The company noted that the disappointing results were due in part to the dismal sales - noting that most of the units the company sold in the quarter were its older BlackBerry 7 devices.
U.S. carrier T-Mobile also recently announced it would no longer sell BlackBerry devices in store, but would continue to carry them online.
This comes days after BlackBerry issued an open letter to its customers, telling 'customers, partners and fans' that they can continue to count on the company.
Meanwhile the company's future remains uncertain as a conditional takeover bid from Fairfax Financial looms.
BlackBerry is selling the Z10 unlocked for $399(US) and the Q10 for $549(US).
© Shaw Media, 2013
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