With BlackBerry now on the verge of being sold, fourth-place U.S. mobile carrier T-Mobile is now set to stop shipping BlackBerry smartphones to its retail stores. A new Reuters report cites T-Mobile EVP for Corporate Services David Carey as saying the provider will instead ship BlackBerry smartphones directly to consumers. The devices will still remain on display at T-Mobile stores for the rare consumer who wants to preview them.
The report quotes Carey saying that keeping BlackBerry devices in stock at stores is “inefficient” due to the low demand for BlackBerry smartphones seen among consumers. He stated that most of T-Mobile’s BlackBerry device sales have gone to businesses, which don’t need to come into retail stores.
This announcement is yet another blow to BlackBerry’s consumer sales. The company recently announced that it will even stop marketing its devices to consumers, instead focusing on enterprise sales.
BlackBerry on Monday announced that it has signed an agreement with a consortium led by FairFax financial to be bought out for $4.7 billion. The sale announcement came just weeks after the company announced it was exploring “strategic alternatives,” including a possible sale. The final deal is on hold for six weeks while FairFax performs due diligence and raises the cash. In the meantime, BlackBerry is open to receiving better offers, which could actually come for its extensive patent portfolio.
