BlackBerry Z10, Q10 get Pentagon approval

nestor e. arellano

11 years ago

BlackBerry Ltd.’s Z10 and Q10 smart phones are cleared for use on the United States Department of Defense (DoD) networks, according to the Waterloo, Ont.-based mobile handset maker.

The U.S. Defense Information System Agency (DISA) has given BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 the Authority to Operate (ATO) on DoD networks and the agency is currently developing the infrastructure to support as many as 10,000 BB10 smart phones by fall and 30,000 by the end of 2013.

“Being the first smart phones to be supported o U.S. Department of Defense networks further establishes BlackBerry’s proven and validated security model,” said Scott Totzke, senior vice-president of BlackBerry Security Group. “With foreign entities – governmental and criminal – ramping up attacks on electronics communications and information systems, BlackBerry provides government agencies with a proven partner that follows top-to-bottom security protocols.”

BlackBerry said receiving the ATO is a “critical step forward” in the security certification process.

BlackBerry handsets were widely used throughout U.S. federal departments but Apple Inc.’s iPhones have steadily eaten away at that monopoly.

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security said it would move away from using only BlackBerry devices for its more than 17,000 employees. The National Transportation Safety Board also dropped BlackBerry smart phones in November last year and adopted the iPhone 5.