The new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone, aimed at rescuing the struggling manufacturer, will be available in South African stores from March 20, according to reports.
The BlackBerry newbie, launched on January 30 with the Q10, will be sold at a pre-order price of R6,999.95 (US$800), as seen on the Incredible Connection site.
Despite the launch announcement of the phone’s higher speed connection abilities, the hopes of BlackBerry Z10 supporting Long Term Evolution (LTE) appear slim.
“Let’s face it, LTE is still in pilot mode in some ways here in South Africa and so they [mobile operators] didn’t see the need to have an even more expensive device – that’s the LTE device,” Alexandra Zagury, Managing Director at BlackBerry for South Africa and Southern Africa, told News24.
HumanIPO reported earlier this month a leaked letter which indicated MTN South Africa’s plans to refrain from further supplying uncapped BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) in March.
Gadget reported MTN’s confirmation of continuing BIS supply for BlackBerry 7 owners, though a new package for BlackBerry 10 users is expected.
