BlackBerry signs license agreement to bring its smartphones to one of world's biggest markets

BlackBerry continues to ink strategic partnerships with various companies after exiting the smartphone industry. The Canadian corporation has signed license agreements with TCL Communication and BB Merah Putih for the design, manufacture, and sale of BlackBerry smartphones in various regions.

Today, BlackBerry announced another licensing deal meant to bring its smartphones to nearly 1.5 billion potential customers across India and neighboring markets. Optiemus Infracom is the name of the company that will launch BlackBerry-branded smartphones in India. It's the same company chosen by BlackBerry to distribute its DTEK50 and DTEK60 smartphones in India.

According to BlackBerry, Optiemus will be allowed to “design, manufacture, sell, promote, and support” BlackBerry-branded smartphones not just in India, but also in other countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

BlackBerry follows the same business model as Nokia, which inked a similar deal with the Finnish company HMD Global. The third licensing deal announced by BlackBerry in the last couple of months is meant to ensure that its smartphones will be available in every market around the world.



In the meantime, TCL is expected to introduce the Mercury, the last BlackBerry smartphone made by the Canadian company. The announcement will go live on February 25, but the handset might not hit the shelves until late March.