Research in Motion (RIM) President and Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins introduces a new RIM Blackberry 10 device during its launch in New York, in this file picture taken January 30, 2013.SHANNON STAPLETON/Reuters
Shares in Research In Motion Ltd. surged in late trading after the company announced an order for 1 million of its BlackBerry 10 smartphones - the largest single purchase of its phones in history.
RIM shares saw a burst of buying activity following the late afternoon press release, and closed up 8.1 per cent, near the highs for the day. The stock, which is up 19 per cent so far this week, had been trading nearly unchanged prior to the announcement.
The stock continued to chalk up gains in after-hours trade, rising by a further 2 per cent.
RIM did not name the company that placed the order, but said it was one of its "established partners." RIM also did not disclose which models were ordered.
Separately, Verizon Wireless announced this afternoon that it plans to begin selling the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone on March 28, and will start taking pre-orders on March 14. U.S. rival AT&T will start selling the smartphones a week earlier.
"An order for one million devices is a tremendous vote of confidence in BlackBerry 10," said Rick Costanzo, executive vice-president of Global Sales for BlackBerry, in a statement. "With strong partner support, coupled with this truly re-invented new platform, we have a powerful recipe for success."
BlackBerry unveiled the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones on Jan. 30. BlackBerry Z10 is already available for purchase in a number of markets around the world, but has yet to hit U.S. store shelves.
Darcy Keith