As A Result Of This Startup Going Out Of Business, BlackBerry 5G Phones Are Officially Dead

Blackberry does not grant a license to OnwardMobility. (photo credit: David Lindahl / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The startup technology company OnwardMobility has reportedly closed its gates. That means, the legend of the BlackBerry 5G phone also died.

From the information circulating, the company did not continue the project after its license to use the BlackBerry name was canceled.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that OnwardMobility will be shutting down, and we will no longer be continuing to develop ultra-save smartphones with physical keyboards," said OnwardMobility.

"Please be aware that this is not a decision we made lightly or hastily. We share your disappointment in this news and assure you that this was not the result we sought and hoped for."

Several media outlets such as Android Police and CrackBerry reported in early February that production of the phone had been cancelled.

Texas-based startup OnwardMobility is seeking to revitalize the iconic BlackBerry brand through its next generation of Android-based Wi-Fi devices.

But unfortunately, the company actually lost the license from BlackBerry Ltd. to use that name. However, OnwardMobility did not explain why they shut down and canceled production of the phone.

There are no images for the Blackberry 5G, but reports suggest that the phone takes design inspiration from the Priv, an Android-based slider phone released in late 2015. It was the only Android device released by Blackberry Ltd, before moving on to software. development.

Launching CNET, Monday, February 21, BlackBerry ended service for its older devices in early January, including older phones running their OS. The Canada-based company was an early leader in the smartphone space, adding physical QWERTY keyboards to mobile devices and key services like Blackberry Messenger.

Following the announcement, OnwardMobility promised updates on BlackBerry 5G phones. Before OnwardMobility took the license, Chinese manufacturer TCL was the maker of the latest BlackBerry-branded phones.

TCL released the BlackBerry KeyTwo in 2018, along with other devices running on Android. However, TCL has moved on to releasing its own mid-range phone.