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On May 9, 2012, Research In Motion (RIM) announced that six BlackBerry 7 phone variants had completed testing through U.S. Army labs and were listed on the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) Unified Communications Approved Product List (UCAPL). The announcement said DoD customers could use the phones on Defense networks at that time; it does not establish current approval or compatibility.
Which BlackBerry phones were listed?
RIM’s May 9, 2012 announcement named these six models:
| Model | Form factor and input |
|---|---|
| BlackBerry Bold 9900 | Touchscreen and physical keyboard |
| BlackBerry Bold 9930 | Touchscreen and physical keyboard |
| BlackBerry Torch 9810 | Touchscreen and slide-out physical keyboard |
| BlackBerry Torch 9850 | Full touchscreen |
| BlackBerry Torch 9860 | Full touchscreen |
| BlackBerry Curve 9360 | Physical keyboard |
The announcement described Army lab testing conducted with Army and DISA sponsors and partners, followed by the UCAPL listing. A contemporaneous Defense One report likewise said military and civilian personnel across the department could use the phones.
What “approved” meant in 2012
The claim refers to the phones’ 2012 UCAPL listing and the announced permission for DoD customers to use them on DoD networks then. It is a dated approval report, not proof that the devices remain authorized, supported, or technically compatible with present-day Defense networks.
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Related security credentials should not be mistaken for the UCAPL listing. In November 2011, RIM said the Bold 9900, Torch 9810 and 9860, and Curve 9360 had Common Criteria EAL4+ certification. It said certification for the Bold 9930 and Torch 9850, among other devices, was expected early the following year. Those model-specific statements are separate from the May 2012 network-listing announcement. RIM’s SEC-filed release also quoted BlackBerry Security SVP Scott Totzke describing EAL4+ certification; that quote concerned the certification, not the later UCAPL listing.
SecurityWeek separately discussed BlackBerry 7/7.1 FIPS 140-2 validation and EAL4+ certification. Those platform security credentials do not by themselves establish a network authorization for every handset and date. SecurityWeek’s May 2012 report provides that certification context.
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- Unlocked cell phones are compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile as well as with GSM SIM cards (e.g. H20, Straight Talk, and select prepaid carriers). Unlocked cell phones will not work with CDMA Carriers like Sprint, Verizon, Boost or Virgin.
- Large square touch screen
- Amazingly fast and astoundingly beautiful web browsing
- A battery that powers through
- BlackBerry keyboard
Why older DoD records do not change the answer
A separate DISA-hosted Army legacy-products PDF identifies itself as an end-of-sale list “AS OF: 1 October 2010” and “Last Updated: 11 June 2012.” It includes carrier-specific devices and, for some OS 7 phones, limits functions to unclassified phone and unclassified email. That record has a different date and scope from the May 2012 UCAPL announcement; it should not be combined with it as though it were the same approval.
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