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Still own a BlackBerry phone? They’re about to stop working

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Many of BlackBerry Ltd.’s mobile phones will stop reliably working on Tuesday after the company decommissions several of its services.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business is decommissioning services for BlackBerry 7.1 OS and earlier, BlackBerry 10 software, BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.1 and earlier versions, as it transitions away from producing phones and toward being a software company.

The decommissioning will not impact BlackBerry phones running on Android software, but means devices running the company’s legacy services and software through either carrier or Wi-Fi connections will no longer have reliable data, phone call, text message and
9-1-1 functionality.

Blackberry, previously known as Research In Motion Ltd., was founded by Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin in 1984, but BlackBerry devices date back to the 1990s, when the company released an email-enabled pager. Later, it produced its first smartphones.

Users loved their full keyboards, which made typing long missives easy, and BlackBerry Messenger, a communications service that allowed BlackBerry users to chat with one another once after sharing unique pincodes.

The phones skyrocketed to popularity and were considered so addicting that they were often referred to as “crackberries.”

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BlackBerry even counted celebrity fans like former U.S. President Barack Obama, who refused to give up his BlackBerry when he took office, and Kim Kardashian.

“BlackBerry has my heart and soul. I love it. I’ll never get rid of it,” Kardashian reportedly said at the Code/Mobile conference in 2014.

“I have anxiety that I will run out and I won’t be able to have a BlackBerry. I’m afraid it will go extinct.”

She admitted to keeping a supply of BlackBerry phones on hand because she was so loyal to the Bold model, but has since been spotted on her family’s television series using an iPhone.

That’s a transition many people made after Apple invented the iPhone and the proliferation of Android devices began, significantly curtailing BlackBerry user numbers.

BlackBerry eventually began prioritizing its software and security services, including its QNX business, which is focused on the automotive sector, but licensed its brand to phone manufacturers TCL and OnwardMobility.

As part of its shift away from its mobile business, the company announced it would end services for many of its phones in 2020.

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]