BlackBerry Ltd. said it would create a new business unit to hold
what it called its innovative technology assets, including its QNX
software and Project Ion.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said it has hired Sandeep
Chennakeshu, a former president of Ericsson's Mobile Platforms
division, to lead the new unit, BlackBerry Technology Solutions.
The unit will also include BlackBerry's Certicom cryptography
applications, its Paratek antenna technology assets and its
portfolio of 44,000 patents.
The development comes as the smartphone maker attempts to turn
around its fortunes in part by positioning itself as a market
leader in offering mobile security technology for governments and
large enterprises.
QNX, Certicom and Paratek have the potential to address the much
wider global markets for secure, reliable communications and
embedded applications, while Project Ion creates a platform that
enables secure machine-to-machine communication required by the
growing number of end-to-end, Internet of Things applications.
Combining these assets and the company's large patent portfolio in
one unit "will create operational synergies and new revenue
streams, furthering our turnaround strategy," BlackBerry Chief
Executive John Chen said in a statement Monday.
BlackBerry has lost a number of corporate and government clients
to rivals over the last several years as its new devices fell flat
in the market. Mr. Chen is counting on updated software that
handles security for company-issued devices to win back customers.
Firms can use the technology whether employees use BlackBerrys,
iPhones or other devices.
BlackBerry is also counting on the success of its QNX software
to help drive its turnaround. Auto makers use the technology to
allow drivers to connect with their in-car multimedia systems using
their mobile devices. BlackBerry also expects this technology to
play a key role in allowing businesses and people to connect to an
array of machines over the Internet using mobile devices.
Ben Dummett contributed to this article
Write to Carolyn King at carolyn.m.king@wsj.com
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