Once mighty mobile tech company Research In Motion, maker of Blackberry devices, have suffered another set back thanks to the U.S. government. The Defense Department has announced that it’s going to allow other device makers, including Apple and Google, to apply for the contract to supply the government.
According to Reuters, the Pentagon claims it still plans to use “large numbers” of BlackBerry devices but it’s also asking other tech companies to apply for a government contract to provide software that is capable of monitoring, managing, and enforcing U.S. military security requirements. A spokesman for the Pentagon told Reuters it was opening up the bidding to help increase the number of “new and innovative applications” the military uses.
The spokesman went on to say “DISA is managing an enterprise e-mail capability that continues to support large numbers of RIM devices while moving forward with the department’s planned mobile management capability that will support a variety of mobility devices.” Although they will still be utilizing Research In Motion devices, this is more bad news for the once powerful company.
Just last week, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced that they would no longer be using Research In Motion’s devices, opting to use Apple’s iPhone instead. This is really bad because at one point Research In Motion was dominating the mobile phone market, now they’ve been reduced to a shell of their former selves.
Research In Motion’s vice president of government solutions Paul Lucier remained upbeat about the situation, telling CNET “We are confident that BlackBerry is, and will continue to be, the best solution for government agencies. BlackBerry brings unparalleled real-time mobile access to police forces and the military to ensure public safety. It has proven time again to be the most available and reliable communications channel during natural disasters and for first-responders. More than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies rely on BlackBerry security for secure, mobile transmission of confidential information.”
Signed, Isidori Mtabo
