Beginning March 12, AT&T will kick-off pre-sales of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone for $199.99 with a two-year agreement.

The smartphone will be generally available through all AT&T channels on March 22.

The BlackBerry Z10 is the first smartphone to launch with the re-engineered BlackBerry 10 platform. It features an all-touch keyboard and provides a modern typing experience. The BlackBerry Z10 also features a high-resolution 4.2-inch display and an 8-megapixel camera that records 1080p HD video.

BlackBerry 10 also features BlackBerry Hub - a central location for your emails and conversations; the BlackBerry Touchscreen Keyboard; BlackBerry Messenger (BBM); Time Shift and BlackBerry Story Maker. The BlackBerry Balance technology also allows you to use your Z10 for work and play without compromising the security of your business-related content when connected to BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.

AT&T is also launching the new BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10 solution, which gives AT&T business and government customers with BlackBerry 10 smartphones secure access to work email, "behind the firewall" applications and data, and offers other security and advanced enterprise mobility management features. BES 10 provides an additional option for AT&T enterprise customers to choose from when deciding which Mobile Enterprise Management solution best serves their needs.

T-Mobile USA, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, also began taking its own Z10 preorders today for business customers. The Z10 will be widely available to consumers by the end of the month, the company said.

In related news, Blackberry - formerly known as RIM - has confirmed that it is developing an operating system update for its existing tablets so that they will run on BlackBerry 10 OS, like its Z10 and Q10 smartphones.