[daveomatic]

Why is BBRY avoiding the US prepaid market? The potential for growth in the US market lies in getting handsets into ppl's hands. BB10 is largely unheard of in the US. To gain exposure in the US, BBRY should get BB10 handsets made for Virgin Mobile, Boost, AT&T, and Verizon. The Z3 or similar device (total touch of course) would be a great start. It's not about making $$, if it breaks even, that would be ok. It's about exposure.

Cheaper prepaid Android devices are all over the market by LG, ZTE, and Samsung. Even Apple has prepaid iPhones on Virgin Mobile and Straighttalk. Microsoft has AT&T and Straighttalk offering Windows 8 prepaid phones as an alternative to those burned out on Apple and Google.

So when is BBRY going to recognize it's really missing out on a great way to gain exposure and get their hat in the ring?

[Troy Tiscareno]

Until the Z3, BB didn't have anything low-priced enough to be appropriate for the prepaid market except for BBOS devices, and the Z3 that's currently being made isn't intended for the US or other mature markets. An LTE-enabled variant is planned if Z3 sales go well in the emerging markets it is targeted in.

Still, it's up to the carriers to order phones from BB - BB can't just make them and hope the orders come. Sprint, who owns Virgin and Boost, hasn't exactly been the biggest BB10 carrier, having only ordered the Q10. Anyway, BB needs to bring the design to the carriers and convince them that these devices will sell, or the carriers won't order them. The carriers won't order them just because it would be good for BB - the deal has to be good for the carrier too.

[Septembersrain]

Working for Boost Mobile/Virgin Mobile is very tough. We don't seem to get the variety. I sincerely wish we'd get more than a Curve every few years. I also wish we'd get Windows phones too.

We just barely got the iPhones after being in the stone ages a year behind everyone else with all our Androids.

It's changing, slowly, but I still don't see enough progress. I'd love to see a Q10 show up on our side... Not just Sprints.

Sent from a larger than life device using Tapatalk!

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Until the Z3, BB didn't have anything low-priced enough to be appropriate for the prepaid market except for BBOS devices, and the Z3 that's currently being made isn't intended for the US or other mature markets. An LTE-enabled variant is planned if Z3 sales go well in the emerging markets it is targeted in.

Still, it's up to the carriers to order phones from BB - BB can't just make them and hope the orders come. Sprint, who owns Virgin and Boost, hasn't exactly been the biggest BB10 carrier, having only ordered the Q10. Anyway, BB needs to bring the design to the carriers and convince them that these devices will sell, or the carriers won't order them. The carriers won't order them just because it would be good for BB - the deal has to be good for the carrier too.

Think most of the pre-paid suppliers would be happy with the non-LTE device.... very few of their phones are 4G. And most of those are only available to use the Sprint Network... if you want to use Verizon or AT&T those devices are just 3G. (unless it's changed in the last few months).

But the Z3 is not going to do well against all those other low end devices, now a $180 Q3 type device might be able to find a niche among all those slab phones.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Why is BBRY avoiding the US prepaid market? The potential for growth in the US market lies in getting handsets into ppl's hands. BB10 is largely unheard of in the US. To gain exposure in the US, BBRY should get BB10 handsets made for Virgin Mobile, Boost, AT&T, and Verizon. The Z3 or similar device (total touch of course) would be a great start. It's not about making $$, if it breaks even, that would be ok. It's about exposure.

Cheaper prepaid Android devices are all over the market by LG, ZTE, and Samsung. Even Apple has prepaid iPhones on Virgin Mobile and Straighttalk. Microsoft has AT&T and Straighttalk offering Windows 8 prepaid phones as an alternative to those burned out on Apple and Google.

So when is BBRY going to recognize it's really missing out on a great way to gain exposure and get their hat in the ring?

Same reason you don't see BlackBerry in most carrier retail locations - only corporate stores. Consumers are not buying them and very few business use prepaid suppliers.

I guess BlackBerry could set up their own Prepaid Service and try to sell Phone and Plans direct.


I think if BlackBerry could get a Q3 type device and that if it were a little cheaper, then maybe they would have a shot at one of these prepaid servcies picking it up - even if it were only 3G as that is what many of these devices are.

[Troy Tiscareno]

Think most of the pre-paid suppliers would be happy with the non-LTE device.... very few of their phones are 4G. And most of those are only available to use the Sprint Network... if you want to use Verizon or AT&T those devices are just 3G. (unless it's changed in the last few months).

The Moto G LTE is going to be a big game-changer, plus, it's not going to be long before all phones in the US must be LTE, because VoLTE is starting to be rolled out right now on multiple networks (on a very limited number of phones for the moment), with the goal to be able to have all phones off of legacy CDMA/GSM within 3 or so years, so those legacy networks can be taken down and the frequencies reused to expand LTE bandwidth.

I doubt you'll be able to buy a new non-LTE phone in the US in 2015, even flip phones, for that reason.