BlackBerry inks hardware licensing deal covering India
India is one of BlackBerry's biggest handset markets
India is one of BlackBerry's biggest handset markets PHOTO COURTESY: POCKETNOW
BlackBerry Ltd has signed a hardware licensing agreement covering India and nearby countries, the Canadian company said on Monday, filling in the last markets where a third-party will manufacture its once-ubiquitous devices as it turns fully to software.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said the long-term licensing deal with Optiemus Infracom Ltd covers India, one of BlackBerry's biggest handset markets, as well as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
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The company did not provide financial terms of the deal, but one analyst estimates that BlackBerry is collecting $1 per handset from around 7 million third-party sales a quarter.
"Visibility to the success of its partners to drive new and upgrade sales remains limited," Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um wrote in a note to clients, adding that existing deals have not driven hardware sales.
The news follows a similar according covering Indonesia that was announced last September and a global deal - excluding Indonesia and some South Asian countries - signed with China's TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd in December.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said the long-term licensing deal with Optiemus Infracom Ltd covers India, one of BlackBerry's biggest handset markets, as well as Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
DTEK 70: Is this what BlackBerry's 'Mercury' looks like?
The company did not provide financial terms of the deal, but one analyst estimates that BlackBerry is collecting $1 per handset from around 7 million third-party sales a quarter.
"Visibility to the success of its partners to drive new and upgrade sales remains limited," Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um wrote in a note to clients, adding that existing deals have not driven hardware sales.
The news follows a similar according covering Indonesia that was announced last September and a global deal - excluding Indonesia and some South Asian countries - signed with China's TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd in December.