Carriers Begin Testing RIM’s BlackBerry 10 Phones

Struggling Canadian smartphone maker RIM has announced that its BlackBerry 10 smartphones have entered the carrier testing phase. The milestone is a crucial marker for the company, which previously was forced to postpone the launch of its new operating system and devices.

“After months and months of delays, it appears RIM’s new mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10, is still on track to launch in early 2013,” wrote Business Insider’s Steve Kovach. “In a statement, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins said 50 mobile carriers are now testing BB10, a critical step before its release. Carriers must perform thorough testing on smartphones before they agree to sell.”

Bloomberg quoted RIM CEO Thorsten Heins, who said, “In the last week, BlackBerry 10 achieved lab entry with more than 50 carriers — a key step in our preparedness for the launch of BlackBerry 10 in the first quarter of 2013.”

John Paczkowski from All Things D noted, “That’s great news for RIM, which has been scrambling to launch BlackBerry 10 after numerous delays. Those postponements have cost it the all-important holiday shopping season, so it’s crucial that RIM hits its early 2013 deadline. And this is promising news indeed. RIM shares are trading up well over 4 percent following its release.”

Another story from Reuters also holds good news for RIM: “The Pentagon on Wednesday said it would continue to support ‘large numbers’ of BlackBerry phones made by Research in Motion Ltd even as it moves forward with plans that would allow the U.S. military to begin using Apple Inc’s iPhone and other devices.”