MTS brings the new BlackBerry Passport with the industry's first touch-enabled keyboard to Manitobans

Boundary-Breaking Square Screen Design, Touch-enabled Keyboard and New BlackBerry 10.3 OS, Lets You Elevate Your Productivity

WINNIPEG, Sept. 24, 2014 /CNW/ - (TSX:MBT) MTS will soon be offering the BlackBerry® Passport, a new device purpose-built for productivity with a boundary-breaking design that challenges the status quo. Featuring a large square touch screen, new QWERTY touch-enabled keyboard and BlackBerry's latest 10.3 operating system, the BlackBerry Passport gives users a wider vision to do mobile business without compromising portability.  

The new BlackBerry Passport will be available from MTS Connect Stores on October 1^st, for $199.99 on a 24- month data plan contract.

"MTS is delighted to add the much-anticipated BlackBerry Passport to our wireless lineup," said Randy Williams, Vice-President, Business Solutions, MTS. "Combined with our blazing fast 4G LTE wireless network that reaches over 850,000 Manitobans, and our attractive range of data plans for business, this new device will offer a cutting edge mobile computing experience."

The BlackBerry Passport encourages productivity with a 4.5" square touch screen that optimizes screen real estate to enable users to read 60 characters per line, whereas a typical all-touch device in portrait orientation only displays 40 characters. When you combine this with a revolutionary touch-enabled keyboard, you will be able to get more done on your smartphone, without feeling the need to turn to your PC or tablet to read and write emails, view maps, surf the Web or edit documents.

Key features include:

• Innovative Screen - The BlackBerry Passport has a 4.5" square full HD screen and a pixel density of 453 dpi, offering the best resolution of any device in its range including the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6 Plus.
• Best-in-Class Battery Power – The 3450 mAh battery is the largest among the top selling smartphones and phablets and, when tested against a very active user, provides up to 30 hours of mixed use. It's our best battery power to date.*
• BlackBerry® Keyboard – The BlackBerry Passport's revolutionary new keyboard brings innovation to input with a responsive touch surface that lets you perform many touch functions directly on the keyboard. You can scroll web pages, flick to type or slide along the keys to move the cursor, leaving the full screen space for viewing.
• Premium Components – The device is built for the most demanding user using durable materials mixed with top-of-the-line technology, including a 453 dpi Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 display with 1440 X 1440 resolution, Quad Core 2.2 GHZ Processor, 3 GB RAM, 13 MP OIS rear Camera and 32 GB memory.
• BlackBerry® 10 OS 10.3 – The BlackBerry Passport comes preloaded with the BlackBerry 10.3 operating system, including new features such as BlackBerry® Assistant, BlackBerry® Blend and Amazon Appstore. It has a fresh look that incorporates updated icons and an action bar so that each user's most commonly accessed functions are in the center of their screen.
• BlackBerry Blend - BlackBerry Blend seamlessly brings messaging and content that is on your BlackBerry Passport to your computer and tablet. Get instant notifications, read and respond to your work and personal messages, and access your documents, calendar, contacts, BBM™ and media in real-time on any device, powered by your BlackBerry.
• BlackBerry Assistant – The BlackBerry Assistant is BlackBerry's first digital assistant and can be used with voice and text commands to help users manage work and personal email, contacts, calendar and other native BlackBerry® 10 applications. BlackBerry Assistant intelligently determines how to respond to you based on how you interact with it – if you type, it responds silently, if you speak, it speaks back and if you activate over Bluetooth, it speaks back with additional context because it assumes you might not have access to the screen.
• BlackBerry® World™ storefront – BlackBerry World showcases essential apps for the BlackBerry Passport smartphone customer, including productivity apps like Bloomberg Professional. Get the best on BlackBerry World, uniquely suited to you.
• Amazon Appstore – Preloaded on BlackBerry Passport, users can access popular consumer apps through the Amazon Appstore, including the latest Android games and apps, such as Groupon, Netflix, Pinterest, Candy Crush Saga and Minecraft.
• BlackBerry® Natural Sound – BlackBerry Passport comes with powerful speakers and a quad microphone system that delivers a high-quality listening experience. BlackBerry Natural Sound Technology is built in to adapt Wi-Fi and cellular call sound depending upon phone position and background noise, automatically adjusting volume so you don't have to.

For more information about the BlackBerry Passport from MTS, please visit www.mts.ca.

* Based on mixed usage scenario. Many factors affect battery life, including network connectivity, application usage, feature configuration and battery age. Actual results may vary.

About MTS
MTS is the leading full-service communications provider for residential and business customers in Manitoba. The company's suite of products and services include the latest in wireless technology, high-speed Internet, an award-winning IPTV service, voice services, home security, and an extensive range of business solutions. A technology leader, MTS operates advanced wireless networks using the latest 4G and Wi-Fi technologies, delivering the best coverage for Manitobans. MTS also continues to expand its world-class fibre-to-the-home network, making MTS's fastest Internet plans and Ultimate TV service available to more communities across Manitoba. MTS's momentum is fuelled by the knowledge, skills and spirit of its 3,000 Manitoba-based employees. With over 100 years of operations, MTS is rooted firmly in the community and is a proud sponsor of the MTS Centre, home to the NHL's Winnipeg Jets. MTS is wholly owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. which is listed on the TSX (trading symbol: MBT). For information on MTS's products and services, please visit www.mts.ca.

Forward-looking Statements Disclaimer
This news release includes forward-looking statements and information (collectively, the "statements") about MTS's and Epic Information Solutions's products and services that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. As a consequence, actual results in the future may differ materially from any conclusion, forecast or projection in such forward-looking statements. Therefore, forward-looking statements should be considered carefully and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Examples of statements that constitute forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "project", "should", "anticipate", "could", "target", "forecast", "intend", "plan", "outlook", "see", "set", "pending", and other similar terms.

Factors that could cause anticipated opportunities and actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, matters identified in the "Material assumptions" section and the "Risks and uncertainties" section of the Company's 2013 Annual Management's Discussion & Analysis and 2013 Annual Information Form, both of which are available on SEDAR www.sedar.com.

Please note that forward-looking statements reflect Management's expectations as at the date hereof. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of BlackBerry Limited.

SOURCE: Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.

Media: Chelsea Ross, Corporate Communications, 204 958-3230, [email protected]