Mysterious Partner Buys 1 Million BlackBerry 10 Devices

BlackBerry just won its biggest vote of confidence yet: A massive order for handsets running its next-generation operating system. The company said Wednesday that an “established partner” had agreed to buy 1 million BlackBerry 10 devices. The deal marks the largest-ever single purchase order in BlackBerry’s history, according to the company.

Who is this mysterious “established partner,” and why is BlackBerry concealing its identity? The company refuses to say. “We are bound by confidentiality and cannot disclose our partner’s name,” BlackBerry spokesman Adam Emery told AllThingsD.

So, for the time being, the purchaser’s identity will remain unknown. But 1 million BlackBerrys is a hell of a big smartphone order. Military? Government? Some foreign entity? Or simply a carrier? I’m sure we’ll hear soon enough.