BlackBerry to start licensing its version of Android to device manufacturers, sources say

BlackBerry’s take on Android is one of the more lightweight versions of the operating system put forward by a third-party device manufacturer. In fact, BlackBerry’s only notable addition to Android is a suite of security software aimed at protecting users from unwanted breaches or intrusions.

BlackBerry already licenses its name and software to Chinese manufacturer TCL, and now it looks like BlackBerry is looking to start licensing its BlackBerry Secure operating system to other device manufacturers.

The company is in talks with Indian manufacturer Optiemus to bring BlackBerry Secure to the Indian market, according to India’s Economic Times.

BlackBerry has a similar deal with BB Merah Putih in the Indonesian market.

According to Alex Thurber, BlackBerry’s senior vice president and general manager of mobility solution, the company also has a “number of different contracts that we are working on right now.”

“We have three partners that cover the world,” said Thurber, in the same Economic Times interview. “We are not looking at any other partners for pure BlackBerry brand.”

BlackBerry is also looking to break into the enterprise of things market, while simultaneously supplying its BlackBerry Secure operating system to non-mobile device manufacturers.

“We have already started talking to a couple of medical manufacturers…there is an amazing amount of products that run Android and since we are able to make a very secure Android, we think there are a lot of opportunities” said Thurber.

Thurber told the Economic Times that BlackBerry CEO John Chen has “also talked about TVs.”

When asked if the company has plans to announce any additional third-party partnerships, a BlackBerry spokesperson told MobileSyrup: “BlackBerry doesn’t have anything new to share about its licensing program at this time.”

Source: The Economic Times Via: Android Police