Canadian Operator Rogers Communications Declines To Stock BlackBerry Z30

Canadian operator Rogers Communications says it won’t stock the BlackBerry Z30, delivering another blow to the struggling smartphone manufacturer in its own back yard, although rivals Bell and Telus will offer the phone to customers.

The BlackBerry Z30 is the fourth smartphone to be released running BlackBerry 10 and was appointed the company’s new flagship handset last month, replacing the incumbent BlackBerry Z10 as part of a streamlining of its device portfolio.

BlackBerry said it was going to discount the Z10 to make it more appealing to mid-range consumers having failed to gain traction as a high-end device and contributing to losses of £624 million.

BlackBerry Z30 rejection

Rogers is doing its best to downplay any suggestion it is abandoning BlackBerry, and accusing observers of reading too much into what it says was a routine decision, made months ago.

The operator has pointed out that it has passed up some previous BlackBerry phones, and continues to stock the Z10 and the keyboard-toting Q10. According to The Globe and Mail, Rogers only has space on its shelves for 15-17 models, and it only picks smartphones it believes will be popular with consumers.

Rogers has very close links to BlackBerry however, dating back to the late 1990s, and the news comes shortly after T-Mobile in the US announced it was no longer going to stock BlackBerry smartphones of any description.

BlackBerry is currently up for sale and has signed a preliminary agreement with its largest shareholder Fairfax Holdings. However reports suggest  Google, Microsoft, Intel, SAP, Cisco and a number of venture capital firms are eyeing up bids as concerns about Fairfax’s ability to raise the required funds grow.

BlackBerry has had a bumpy year! Try our 2013 BlackBerry quiz!