Ammon News - BEIJING (Xinhuanet) - Struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry may put itself up for sale.

BlackBerry’s largest shareholder is stepping down from the board to avoid any conflict of interests.

The company says it sets up a committee to review its options. The plans have sparked debate about whether the company is more valuable as a whole or snapped up piece by piece.

Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper says Blackberry’s shareholder Fairfax is talking about the possibility of taking the company private. Other potential buyers of BlackBerry assets could include Canadian pension funds, as well as its rivals. Once a stock market darling, BlackBerry has bled market share to Apple and phones using the Google Android operating system. Its new BlackBerry 10 smartphones have failed to win over consumers.