Is BlackBerry shutting down?

BLACKBERRY was once the choice phones of business professionals and celebrities.

However, its competitiveness in the market has caused it to decline in popularity in recent years.

Blackberry announced its shutdown in December 2021

Is BlackBerry shutting down?

Once touted as the phone for members of the upper echelons of the business world, BlackBerry announced that their legacy devices will stop functioning in 2022.

In a press release issued by the company on December 22, 2021, BlackBerry announced that it was shutting down its remaining services on January 4, 2022.

Blackberry users with phones running the BlackBerry OS 7.1 and BlackBerry 10 will no longer send text messages or even dial 911.

“We thank our many loyal customers and partners over the years and invite you to learn more about how BlackBerry provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world,” the press release stated.

This shutdown, which BlackBerry has described as “end of life date,” will render its once-famous BlackBerry messaging service defunct.

Why is BlackBerry shutting?

With the advent of 4G and 5G devices, mobile carriers have been dismantling outdated 2G and 3G infrastructure to pave the way for modern networks that are cost-effective, secure, and less difficult to maintain.

Thus, major carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are set to make 3G services redundant.

With iPhones and Android-powered devices stepping up to meet the growing demands for 4G and 5G services, BlackBerry has had to make such drastic decisions to shut down.

BlackBerry was once the smartphone choice of celebrities and politicians.AFP or licensors

How popular was the BlackBerry?

BlackBerry was once a beloved mobile device by celebrities and politicians such as former President Barack Obama and Kim Kardashian.

It was touted as a secure and classy phone for business professionals. Even President Obama was reluctant to give up his BlackBerry after he was sworn in as President.

In a 2016 interview on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, he recalled: “I get the thing, and they’re all like, ‘Well, Mr. President, for security reasons … it doesn’t take pictures, you can’t text, the phone doesn’t work, … you can’t play your music on it.”

BlackBerry makers, Research in Motion, once enjoyed a few years of dominance in the smartphone industry from 2009 to 2014.