There’s a major disconnect between what BlackBerry is saying about U.S. carriers’ enthusiasm for its platform, and what the carriers themselves are saying. Unless this gets cleared up, BlackBerry 10 could be headed for an even weaker launch than Windows Phone saw here in the U.S.

BlackBerry didn’t bring a single U.S. wireless carrier on stage at its BlackBerry 10 announcement in New York. It didn’t announce a single hard date. In fact, according to Phone Scoop’s Rich Brome, the BlackBerry Z10 models for Verizon and Sprint haven’t even cleared the FCC yet(Opens in a new window), a necessary step that typically comes several weeks before a launch. The QWERTY-keyboarded Q10 will come even later than the Z10.

Compare this to BlackBerry’s competitors and you’ll see my concerns. At the U.S. Samsung Galaxy S III launch announcement on June 4, T-Mobile and Sprint gave June 21 release dates. When Apple announced the iPhone 5 on Sept. 12, it came with a Sept. 21 ship date on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Windows Phone 8 device dates started appearing even before the platform’s formal launch on Oct. 29; phones went on sale the following week.

The U.S. carriers aren’t even taking presales for the BlackBerry 10 phones, just collecting email addresses. There’s a potential upside to this delay. Since BlackBerry 10 will be available in several other countries first, BlackBerry can beef up the application catalog and work out bugs before the software comes here. But if carriers are as vague about BlackBerry 10 at launch as they appear to be now, that bodes poorly for sales here in the U.S. 

AT&T seems the most enthusiastic(Opens in a new window); it was at least able to summon an executive quote and play up why you might want a new BlackBerry. Notice that there are no dates or prices in AT&T’s release. All the same, I think BlackBerry 10 will get its biggest push from AT&T, which has made device and platform diversity a major selling point for the carrier.

Verizon starts out(Opens in a new window) by framing the BlackBerry 10 experience in terms of “choices,” which is a really weak way to promote something. Just because you have choices doesn’t mean all of those choices are good. Verizon gives us a $199.99 price but no date.

T-Mobile pledges its support for the Z10, but not the Q10. Its press release offers some enthusiasm(Opens in a new window) for the platform but lacks any actual meat to it in terms of pricing or availability, promising only “a later date.” The key danger there is that T-Mobile will start selling the iPhone within the next few months; if BlackBerry 10 comes out at the same time or slightly later, the iPhone marketing effect may blow it away.

Sprint appears to have passed on the Z10 and will only carry the Q10 “later this year.(Opens in a new window)” When? October? December? While Sprint says plenty of nice things in its press release, it leaves too much breathing room to bring the phones out late and bury them quickly if it doesn’t see momentum. I’d rather see a much firmer commitment.

Ultimately, I’m angrier at our system than anything else. This is a perfect example of how carrier control chokes innovation: because the carriers control almost all mobile-phone sales in the USA, anyone with a great idea has to come to them as a supplicant and wait in line.

The delay between BlackBerry 10’s announcement and an unspecified sale date could cause U.S. interest to drift. February is a great time to launch a phone here, with no major competitors. If the sale date floats into April, BlackBerry 10 goes up against a potential Samsung Galaxy S IV launch event and the arrival of the iPhone 5 on T-Mobile, both of which could steal much-needed thunder.

BlackBerry 10 has been so long-awaited that it can’t afford many more delays. For this OS to succeed, the carriers need to get it on shelves before the next round of iPhones and Android phones make it look like yesterday’s news.

For more, check out PCMag’s first look at the Z10 and our hands on with the Q10. Also see BlackBerry Z10 vs. Apple iPhone 5: Spec Showdown and Unboxing the BlackBerry Z10.