BlackBerry has denied reports that its smartphones are set to be dropped by the Pentagon, insisting the Z10 smartphone and BB10 are in the US Department of Defense's plans.
Sources suggested that the Pentagon was purchashing 650,000 Apple devices to replace aging BlackBerry products, but the company formerly known as RIM says BB10 and the BlackBerry Z10 will remain part of Department of Defense operations and should be approved for use next month.
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"Our work with the U.S. Department of Defense is going well and the U.S. Department of Defense is moving forward with testing of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and the new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone," said a BlackBerry spokesperson in a statement to Computing.
"We are currently working with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and anticipate Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIG) and Security Requirement Guide (SRG) approval for the BlackBerry Device Service, BlackBerry 10 and BlackBerry PlayBook by early April.
"BlackBerry was the first to go through the new SRG process by the Defense Department and will be the first to successfully come out of it," the statement concluded.
In addition to BlackBerry and iOS devices, Windows 8 smartphones have also been authorised for use in the department.
"The new Microsoft JELA includes the Window 8 operating system and can be installed on any DoD device, including mobile devices," DoD spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Damien Pickart previously told Computing.
The BlackBerry Z10 launches in the US on 26 March, with the company receiving a pre-release boost when an undisclosed partner made an order for one million of the devices, the biggest single order in the Canadian firm's history.
