BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) landed into further trouble last week when Rogers, the largest network in Canada, decided not to sell the former latest flagship device, the 5-inch Z30. However, the decision received criticism from BlackBerry fans across the country, which forced the carrier to reverse its decision and provide Z30 on its network, according to reports of AllThingsD.
The network carrier in a statement said, “In response to customers’ feedback and excitement about the device, Rogers will be offering the new Z30 to its customers.”
Rogers a catalyst for BlackBerry
Robert Bruce, president of Rogers, once defined Z30 as “on the high end” and “maybe a little niche-y”. Since Rogers has accepted fans’ request to sell the phone on its network, for BlackBerry it means a little boost in confidence that it will get from the sale of Z30 in the home country.
Rogers has been a significant catalyst in the success of BlackBerry 10 and at present has the largest BlackBerry subscriber base in Canada. The decision of Rogers to drop Z30 from its portfolio was not welcomed in the country, and many said that the network carrier has withdrawn its commitment just at the time when BlackBerry needed it most.
Potential buyers apart from Fairfax
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) saw some upside in its stock, earlier this week, after the news that there are some strategic buyers showing interest in the struggling smartphone company, followed by an analyst upgrade. BlackBerry shares surged above the $8 mark after the news broke out that it is in discussions with Cisco Systems, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and SAP to sell some parts.
Analyst Kevin Smithen of Macquarie upgraded the rating on stock from Underperform to Neutral after strategic buyer’s development. In his research note to investors, Smithen said that he believes the decline of BlackBerry stock from $9, which was the bid of Fairfax financials also, has generated the interest of other potential buyers to take a “punt on enterprise mobility”.
Further, Smithen has suggested to investors that they should hold the stock until a deal is finalized. He said that those companies who have not yet forayed into the enterprise mobility market might be interested to acquire the Canadian firm’s intellectual property, its secure network and its service contracts.
“We believe a $6 to $9 sale price range by year end to perhaps a consortium of buyers is the most likely outcome,” he said.
Further, Reuters also reported that BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) is looking forward to generate some interest from potential strategic buyers, including Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Asian computers and Samsung.
