BlackBerry to Expand Phone Range

Thorsten Heins, CEO, BlackBerry formerly Research in Motion (RIM) said the company has plans to widen the range of handsets it offers.

Although he declined to say when they would be launched, Hiens hinted that a range of lower priced BlackBerry smartphones is on the way.

"In order to stay relevant, we have to build a portfolio," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "We will bring it out at the moment when we can expect the biggest market attention for these products."

Although the company has placed big bets on its future with its new BB10 operating system, the lower-range handsets are expected to be based on its older BlackBerry 7 OS where support for that OS is still strong.

"We're not excluding those markets from BlackBerry 10 because of us wanting to sell BlackBerry 7. You will see both in coexistence for awhile in those markets."

The company is targeting the holiday season for its new products - effectively giving it six months to prepare the new phones.