BlackBerry has announced a long-term licensing agreement with TCL Communication Technology, makers of the Alcatel brand, to design, manufacture, sell and provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices.
BlackBerry admitted handset defeat in September when its Q2 financial reports stated that it was turning its full attention to the more profitable and growing software business. At that time, it hinted at deals with an Indonesian company. “This is the way for me to ensure the BlackBerry brand is still on a device,” chief executive John Chen said.
TCL makes the Alcatel brand of smartphones and has the necessary design, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, support, and distribution to add value to the Blackberry brand. TCL is the fourth largest handset manufacturer in North America, third in Australia, and in the top 10 globally, according to IDC.
"At TCL Communication, we are committed to creating the best portfolio solutions, while ensuring the quality support to consumers and enterprise users who trust the integrity of the BlackBerry device and the brand's security leadership, coupled with the Android platform," said Nicolas Zibell, chief executive of TCL Communication. "Together with BlackBerry's smartphone software platform, this partnership will strengthen our position in the global mobile market."
{loadposition ray}"This agreement with TCL Communication represents a key step in our strategy to focus on putting the 'smart in the phone' by providing state-of-the-art security and device software on a platform that mobile users prefer and are comfortable with," said Ralph Pini, chief operating officer and general manager of Mobility Solutions at BlackBerry.
"TCL Communication is the natural choice to license BlackBerry's software and brand on a global scale. We successfully partnered with them on the DTEK series of secure smartphones and we've been impressed with their excellence in hardware design, development, and manufacturing. With our unparalleled expertise in mobile security and software and TCL Communication's vast global reach and consumer access, we are confident that BlackBerry-branded products developed and distributed by TCL Communication will address the needs of BlackBerry users and expand the availability of BlackBerry Secure products throughout the world,” he added.
TCL Communication will be the exclusive global manufacturer and distributor for all BlackBerry-branded smartphones except in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Additional information on the product roadmap and availability of devices will be available in coming months.