BlackBerry's new BB10 software has been rejected by the British government as not secure enough for essential work, the Guardian can reveal.
The news is a blow to hopes that the new operating system, released on the Z10 handset in January, would spark a rapid revival in the company's fortunes after a torrid year of losses. The previous BlackBerry version, 7.1, was cleared by the UK's Computer Experts Security Group (CESG) in December 2012 for classifications up to "Restricted" – two levels below "Secret".
But the Guardian understands that tests on BB10 and the BlackBerry Balance software, intended to separate work and personal accounts and prevent any copying of data between them, have shown that it fails the same security requirements. BlackBerry has confirmed that BB10 has not been passed yet by CESG, but could not offer a date when revised software would be submitted.
That is a blow because the Z10 and its upcoming keyboard-based version, the Q10, are high-priced devices intended to win back corporate customers who have begun to migrate to Apple's iPhone or to Android devices, or to replace older BlackBerry 7 phones. Nor has the company offered a clear date when it will fix the weakness.
Missing out on government business could cost BlackBerry millions in lost revenues, even if rivals are unable to fill the same security space: the government and NHS are two of its biggest clients in the UK, with tens of thousands of users.
Analyst reports also suggest that sales in the UK of the touchscreen Z10 handset, the first to run BB10, are slowing after an initial spurt among consumers when they went on sale in January, leaving sellers with surplus stock.
Source: The Guardian
