BlackBerry is working on licensing deals for its own Android release
BlackBerry is in the middle of licensing deals for its Android release, which it calls BlackBerry Secure. Device makers can then use the Canadian manufacturer’s software without having to put the BlackBerry logo on the housing.
That license seems to apply to smartphones, but BlackBerry also wants to get a foot in the door with the license deals in other markets, including wearables and TVs. Negotiations are now underway, a BlackBerry CEO confirms to the Indian ET Telecom.
BlackBerry is no longer looking for deals on smartphones with the BlackBerry name on it. It has found three companies for this: one in India, another in Indonesia and the Chinese manufacturer TCL for worldwide releases. The most famous smartphone under that collaboration is the BlackBerry KEYone released this year.
With a deal, a manufacturer gets access to the ‘extra secure’ Android edition of the Canadian software maker and the former smartphone maker also provides the updates. The CEO says the first license deal announcements are coming soon, but does not give an exact date. BlackBerry announced last year that it would stop making its own phones.