T-Mobile may jump the gun on launching the BlackBerry Z10, as the carrier hopes to be the first wireless provider offering the handset in the U.S.
Speaking with Bloomberg, T-Mobile USA Head of Business Sales Frank Sickinger said that testing is progressing well for the touch-only BB10 phone.
"The device is more stable than we anticipated," he said. "If we are able to speed up the launch date, we will do that. Right now it's looking like mid-March."
Mid-March is certainly a step in the right diection for T-Mobile, as a recently leaked launch calendar for the carrier pointed to a later March 27 date for the phone. Though T-Mobile hasn't revealed a price for the phone yet, Sickinger told the publication that $199 is consistent with what the company has considered for the phone.
Replicating overseas success
BlackBerry, the new name for Research in Motion, recently boasted a strong launch for the Z10 in both the U.K. and its homeland of Canada.
CEO Thorsten Heins said the launch beat out the company's past initial sales records in both countries, with nearly three times the previous record in the U.K. with reports the smartphone is selling out in most stores. There aren't any hards sales figures yet, so we'll have to wait to verify Heins' claims.
The handset's success now hinges on whether it can find similar success in the U.S. That could be an uphill battle though, as BlackBerry usage dropped considerably last year to practically nothing at all.
Verizon and AT&T have both committed to carrying the Z10 along with T-Mobile, though neither have offered a date yet. It appears that March is the month to launch though, so U.S. customers can look forward to the all-touch BlackBerry 10 handset next month.
