AT&T BlackBerry Z10 Release Date March 22 Confirmed: Preorder Begins March 12

The BlackBerry Z10 will be available in the United States through AT&T beginning Mar.22, according to a statement from the company.

The new BlackBerry 10 OS-powered Z10 will cost $199 with a two-year contract, and preorders begin on Tuesday, Mar. 12.

"Beginning March 12, AT&T  will kick-off consumer pre-sales of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone for $199.99 with a two-year agreement at https://www.att.com/z10.  The smartphone will be generally available for all customers, including corporate customers or those receiving a corporate discount, through all AT&T channels on March 22," said AT&T in a press release.

The carrier explicates that all customers can order the phone, since competitor T-Mobile is now offering the Z10 only to business customers. The general public will be able to purchase the Z10 through T-Mobile by the end of the month, though likely after the Mar. 22 AT&T release date.

The two companies have vied to be the first to offer the Z10 in the United States, and it looks like they might share in the glory.

Sprint has already announced it will not offer the Z10 at all, opting instead to wait for the QWERTY keyboard-enabled BlackBerry Q10, due out in the next few months. AT&T will carry both phones, but T-Mobile will only offer the Z10.

Verizon has committed to both phones, but it will not be able to release its own version of the Z10 until next month, and the Q10 after that.

The BlackBerry Z10 features a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 plus processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 4.2-inch 1280x768 display, an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video, 16 GB of internal storage and runs the newly revamped BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Check back for the latest information on the BlackBerry Z10 as it becomes available.