BlackBerry’s 5G Phone Is Officially Dead

The delayed 5G BlackBerry phone is dead, OnwardMobility has confirmed on its website. “It is with great sadness that we announce that OnwardMobility will be shutting down, and we will no longer be proceeding with the development of an ultra-secure smartphone with a physical keyboard,” OnwardMobility said in a message posted Friday, as spotted earlier by CrackBerry.

“Please know that this was not a decision that we made lightly or in haste. We share your disappointment in this news and assure you this is not the outcome we worked and hoped for.” Android Police and CrackBerry originally reported the phone had been cancelled on Feb. 11, saying OnwardMobility, a Texas-based startup seeking to revitalize the iconic brand through an Android-based, next-gen Wi-Fi device, lost the license from BlackBerry Ltd. to use the BlackBerry brand name. OnwardMobility did not expand on why it is shutting down and cancelling production of the phone. The news comes after BlackBerry ended service for its legacy devices in early January. “Before OnwardMobility picked up the license, Chinese manufacturer TCL was the most recent maker of BlackBerry-branded phones,” adds CNET.

Most recently, the company sold its prized patent portfolio to “Catapult IP Innovations Inc.” for $600 million.