Bullitt bites the bullet: Company behind CAT and rugged Moto phones shuts down

Bullitt Group was one of the most prominent rugged phone manufacturers around, being responsible for CAT-branded phones and rugged Motorola handsets. Now, it turns out that the UK-based company has folded.

Several Bullitt employees confirmed the company’s closure on LinkedIn this week, as spotted by Mobile World Live and corroborated by us. The news comes several weeks after the Daily Telegraph reported that the smartphone maker was on the verge of collapsing and that it planned to appoint administrators.

Bullitt told the Daily Telegraph that it intended to transfer its satellite connectivity division and 100 employees to a company that would’ve been owned by its creditors. Unfortunately, it looks like this plan has failed.

The manufacturer made rugged phones for several brands, such as CAT, Land Rover, and Motorola. It most recently offered the Motorola Defy 2, which was known as the CAT S75 in some regions. It also decided to focus on the satellite connectivity field in recent years, launching the Bullitt Satellite Messenger service and Motorola Defy Satellite Link gadget last year. The latter is effectively a satellite hotspot, letting you connect your smartphone to a satellite for emergencies.

We’ve asked Bullitt’s PR representatives and Motorola for comment regarding the company’s closure and future plans. We’ll update the article if they get back to us.

This saga means that consumers will have fewer choices when it comes to rugged phones. Consumers are now left with Samsung, Nokia, and niche players like Unihertz and Ulefone if they want a rugged handset.