BlackBerry Z10 Release Date: T-Mobile Wants to Be First U.S. Carrier, 'Looking Like Mid-March'

Sales of the new Blackberry Z10 smartphone have been higher than expected in the first week it's been available in the U.K. and Canada, and T-Mobile is hoping to be the first company to release it in the United States.

"T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest U.S. mobile-service provider, said its tests of the new BlackBerry Z10 are going well, and it's aiming to be the first American carrier 'out of the gate' with the phone next month," writes Bloomberg.

Earlier reports have suggested that T-Mobile would shoot for a Mar. 27 release, but new statements from the company say they want to release the Z10 even sooner.

"The device is more stable than we anticipated," said Frank Sickinger, head of business sales at T-Mobile. "If we are able to speed up the launch date, we will do that. Right now it's looking like mid-March."

T-Mobile was the last major U.S. carrier to get the iPhone, so being the first to offer phones running the new BlackBerry 10 operating system would be a boon for the company.

As usual, corporate customers might see extra reasons to pick up a BlackBerry. "The Z10 will retail on T-Mobile for $199 with a new two-year agreement, and will be offered to business customers ahead of its consumer launch, with about a week's worth of lead time," says TechCrunch.

That means business customers are potentially looking at an early-March drop date for the Z10.