BlackBerry has received an order for one million Z10 smartphones, the largest single order in the company's history, significantly boosting shares in the firm which described the deal as a "tremendous vote of confidence."
The announcement, made on the BlackBerry blog, didn't reveal the name of the organisation the order came from, or its location, only that it comes from a partner of the Canadian firm, which until recently was known as Research in Motion.
Further reading
Gartner: Huawei up to third place in global smartphone rankings but Apple, Samsung still dominate No Dell MDM support for BB10 until future of BlackBerry becomes clear RIM renamed, launches BlackBerry 10 OS and two smartphones in UK tomorrow
News of the deal saw Blackberry's stock price rise by over eight per cent, ending Wednesday at $15.65 (£10.48), but still some way off January's thirteen month high.
"An order for one million devices is a tremendous vote of confidence in BlackBerry 10," said Rick Costanzo, EVP Global Sales for BlackBerry.
"Consumers are ready for a new user experience, and BlackBerry 10 delivers. With strong partner support, coupled with this truly re-invented new platform, we have a powerful recipe for success."
Released in the UK at the end of January, the Z10 represents BlackBerry's attempt to claw its way back into a smartphone market now dominated by rivals Apple, Samsung and Google. Computing's review of the Blackberry Z10 and its BB10 operating system concluded that while a decent piece of kit, it doesn't offer a spectacular alternative to the likes of the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3.
Currently available in over twenty countries, the BlackBerry Z10 launches in the United States this month, with two of its largest mobile operators, Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility, recently announcing plans to sell the smartphone.
BlackBerry UK and Ireland managing director Rob Orr recently told Computing that all is well with the BB10, despite price cuts announced a little over a month after launch.
"If you look at the way [UK retailers] operate," he said, "they will put short-term offers in place for consumers at different points in time. So it's perfectly normal. I have no feelings whatsoever, quite honestly. Momentum's been great, so there's no complaints."
BlackBerry today confirmed confirmed its commitment to a solution that will separate and secure work and personal data on mobile devices to third party platforms.
"With BlackBerry Balance technology, we offer the industry's only true compromise-free separation of work and personal data and applications," said David J Smith, EVP for Enterprise Mobile Computing.
"With Secure Work Space for iOS and Android devices, we're extending as many of these features as possible to other platforms, critical in today's Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) world.
"BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers administrators a single, intuitive platform enabling them to effectively and securely manage a variety of devices while protecting their corporate assets and at the same time providing employees the flexibility they desire," he added.
The service is currently in beta testing and is scheduled for general release by the end of Q2 this year.
