Rogers Agrees to Carry BlackBerry’s Newest Flagship Phone
Looks like Rogers Communications will sell the BlackBerry Z30 after all.
A week after announcing its decision to forgo BlackBerry’s latest flagship phone, the Canadian wireless carrier has reversed course following outcry from its customers. Rogers said Wednesday that it will add the five-inch touchscreen Z30 to its smartphone portfolio, offering it for purchase through its website and national reservation system.
“In response to customers’ feedback and excitement about the device, Rogers will be offering the new Z30 to its customers,” Rogers said in a statement. “We have a longstanding partnership with BlackBerry and continue to be big supporters of the company and their products.”
Welcome news for BlackBerry, as Rogers’ decision to pass on the Z30 was viewed by some as a not-so-veiled vote of no confidence for the struggling smartphone maker. The carrier played a major role in the launch of BlackBerry 10 and boasts the largest number of BlackBerry subscribers in Canada; for it to decline to sell the BlackBerry’s new flagship phone did not bode well for Canadian sales of the device and raised all sorts of questions about wavering carrier commitments to the company as it attempts to salvage itself.