BlackBerry on Monday announced it has decided to discontinue business with the fourth-largest US carrier, T-Mobile, and will not be renewing the mobile operator’s license to sell its products which is set to expire on April 25.
This means that T- Mobile will no longer be able to sell BlackBerry devices once remaining inventory with it runs out. The decision was taken after BlackBerry accused the operator of allegedly luring its customers to switch to Apple’s iPhone.
The fight between the two started when T-Mobile in February sent emails to some of BlackBerry’s customers offering them free iPhone 5s, which it described as a “great offer for BlackBerry customers”.
Irked by the mobile carrier’s move, Blackberry users took the matter to social networks to complain about the advertising mail. This led the Canadian company’s CEO John Chen, to fire back at the carrier, calling its promotion “clearly inappropriate and ill-conceived.”
The Canadian phone maker has assured that it would continue to provide service and support to existing T-Mobile customers who remain with the network after that date.
BlackBerry assured that the move will have no effect on its deal with the T-Mobile network in the UK and Europe as they have different owners. The company said it is “working closely” with other carrier partners to provide its customers with alternate options, just in case they should decide to change their operator.
The Canadian handset maker’s chief, John Chen, said “BlackBerry has had a positive relationship with T-Mobile for many years. Regretfully, at this time, our strategies are not complementary and we must act in the best interest of our BlackBerry customers.”
“We are deeply grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers and will do everything in our power to provide continued support with your existing carrier or ensure a smooth transition to our other carrier partners.”
