BlackBerry breaks up with T-Mobile, cuts all ties with the Uncarrier

BlackBerry is breaking up with T-Mobile, announcing in a press release that it is cutting all ties with the U.S. carrier.

The Canadian smartphone maker said that it will not renew its license with T-Mobile once the current one expires later this month, on April 25. According to BlackBerry, the reason behind this decision is that the two entities have too different strategies at the moment.

"BlackBerry has had a positive relationship with T-Mobile for many years. Regretfully, at this time, our strategies are not complementary and we must act in the best interest of our BlackBerry customers. We hope to work with T-Mobile again in the future when our business strategies are aligned," BlackBerry CEO and Executive Chair John Chen explained in the press release on Tuesday, April 1.

"We are deeply grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers and will do everything in our power to provide continued support with our existing carrier or ensure a smooth transition to our other carrier partners."

BlackBerry has further assured its customers that this is just a business deal, and they won't be affected in any way. More specifically, customers using a BlackBerry device on T-Mobile's network will not face any hassle or inconvenience, as both companies promised to work together and provide a smooth customer service. This applies to both existing T-Mobile customers and those who plan on shifting to another carrier.

The decision to cut all ties with T-Mobile may hurt BlackBerry's sales to some extent, but the company still has a relevant presence in the country due to its partnerships with other major carriers such as Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and Sprint.

On the other hand, the ailing Canadian smartphone maker has been facing a tough time in recent years, yet it still hopes to turn things around with its BlackBerry Z30 smartphone. The handset sports a 5-inch 720p HD display, a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz, and 2GB of RAM. While it's higher-end than other BlackBerry devices, it pales in comparison to current flagship smartphones from other companies.

With its latest decision to ditch T-Mobile, it remains to be seen whether BlackBerry's fortunes will improve or whether the company will sink even lower.