Usage

President Obama with his holstered BlackBerry on a flight to Caen, Normandy, France, 2009.

The advanced encryption capabilities of the BlackBerry Smartphone make it eligible for use by government agencies and state forces alike.

President Barack Obama

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, became known for his dependence on a BlackBerry device for communication during his 2008 presidential campaign. Despite the security issues, he insisted on using it even after inauguration. This was seen by some as akin to a "celebrity endorsement," which marketing experts have estimated to be worth between $25 and $50 million.

Use by government forces

An example is the West Yorkshire Police, which has allowed the increase in the presence of police officers along the streets and a reduction in public spending, given that each officer could perform the work desk directly via the mobile device, as well as in several other areas and situations. The US Federal Government and Department of Defense are also prominent examples of BlackBerry device users, the latter agency even stating that the BlackBerry smartphone is "essential for national security" because of the large number of BlackBerry users in the government. The high encryption standard of BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet allow them to be the only consumer handheld devices certified for use by US Government agencies.

Use by transportation staff

In the United Kingdom, South West Trains and Northern Rail have issued BlackBerry devices to guards in order to improve the communication between control, guards and passengers.

In Canada, Toronto and many other municipalities within Canada have issued BlackBerry devices to most of its employees including but not limited to transportation, technical, water and operations inspection staff and all management staff in order to improve the communication between contracted construction companies, its winter maintenance operations and to assist and successfully organize multi-million dollar contracts. The devices are the standard mobile device to receive e-mail redirected from GroupWise. All Blackberry models also provide cellular voice services. The City's e-mail environment is currently set up to support "ONLY" Blackberry devices. Devices from Palm Treo, Nokia and others, including so-called "Blackberry Connect" devices, are not approved for City use because of security, licensing, support and/or integration issues.

In India, traffic police in the Southern Indian city of Bangalore have begun using BlackBerry devices to print e-receipt or e-challan for traffic offenses. They are also used to upload the details of booked cases and to retrieve auto and driver license information.

Other users

Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, is a longtime BlackBerry user. Although smartphones running Google's Android mobile operating system compete with BlackBerry, Schmidt said in a 2013 interview that he uses a BlackBerry because he prefers its keyboard.

The Italian criminal group known as the 'Ndrangheta was reported on February 2009 to have communicated overseas with the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel, through the use of the BlackBerry, since the texts are "normally difficult to intercept".