Remember last summer when BlackBerry’s new platform and devices like the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 received the U.S. Defense Information System Agency’s approval to be used by the Department of Defense? It looks like being the first mobile device management solutions provider to receive that clearance was hardly the end of BlackBerry’s government win streak. According to a report from Nextgov, the overwhelming majority of mobile devices in the Pentagon’s huge new Defensewide system will be BlackBerry phones. This means BlackBerry has taken a big step in defending its leading position as the mobile devices and solutions provider of choice for the U.S. government despite increased efforts from Apple and Google, which are both looking to make gains in the lucrative space.
“The new year will bring new mobile capabilities to as many as 100,000 DoD users,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “DoD will begin deploying version 1.0 of the unclassified mobility capability Jan. 31 and will build out capacity to support up to 100,000 users by the end of the fiscal year.”
According to the report, 80,000 new and old BlackBerry phones will be hooked up to the new system beginning January 31st, alongside just 1,800 iOS and Android devices combined.
