The Chinese company will also provide the support

Dec 16, 2016 05:39 GMT  ·  By

As expected, BlackBerry announced the company that managed to secure the license for the design, manufacture and sale of the smartphones wearing its brand. The company is called TCL and many of you probably have already heard of it since it's the same that owns the Alcatel brand.

BlackBerry and Chinese company TCL announced they signed a global licensing agreement, which is the continuation of the recent collaboration between the two companies.

Both the DTEK50 and DTEK60 smartphones were built by TCL, which is another reason for BlackBerry to choose the Chinese company.

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. Together with BlackBerry's smartphone software platform, this partnership will strengthen our position in the global mobile market,” said Nicolas Zibell, CEO of TCL Communication.

BlackBerry DTEK50
BlackBerry DTEK50

TCL Communication is the fourth largest handset manufacturer in North America and top-10 globally according to IDC. The Chinese company will bring its BlackBerry-branded smartphones across the globe with the exception of the following countries: India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

The fact that TCL hasn't been allowed to launch BlackBerry-branded smartphones in Indonesia, one of the biggest markets for these devices, is rather strange.

Perhaps the Canadian company plans to launch the smartphones manufactured by TCL on its own since it does appear to have maintained all the infrastructure needed for the sale and support of BlackBerry handsets.

So, while TCL will design, manufacture, sell and support BlackBerry-branded phones, the Canadian company will control and develop its security and software solutions. BlackBerry announced that it also licensed its security software and service suite, along with related brand assets to TCL.

Press Release

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BlackBerry DTEK50
BlackBerry DTEK50
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