The U. S. Department of Defense has announced it would open its digital networks to Apple, Google and other smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

Currently, the department has exclusive contract with Canadian smartphone manufacturer RIM, and thus all of the department's personnel use BlackBerry devices.

Teri Takai, chief information officer at the department of defense, said that the department would further drop its exclusive BlackBerry contract and open all of its mobile communications networks to Apple, Google and others.

Announcing the decision, Takai said, "This is not simply about embracing the newest technology. It is about keeping the department's workforce relevant in an era when information accessibility and cybersecurity play a critical role in mission success."

The department has currently more than 600,000 mobile devices, and plans to handle around 8 million devices in the coming years. Takai stressed that any manufacturer which would be able to meet the department's strict security guidelines would be able to enjoy a part of the department's lucrative government contract.

The defense department's decision to further drop exclusive BlackBerry contract is definitely a big setback to RIM, which has been suffering a huge decline in its market share for the past few years, mainly due to cut-throat competition from the side of rivals like Apple and Samsung. In October last year, the U. S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agency ditched all of its BlackBerry smartphones and adopted Apple's iPhone.