Optiemus Infracom to make BlackBerry phones for India

Canadian smartphone firm BlackBerry today said it has inked a pact with Optiemus Infracom for manufacturing BlackBerry Android handsets in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The exclusive, long-term licensing agreement with the Indian telecom enterprise follows BlackBerry's recent global licensing agreement with TCL Communication and PT BlackBerry Merah Putih in Indonesia.

BlackBerry has an existing partnership with Optiemus since November last year for distribution and sale of its DTEK50 and DTEK60 handsets. These devices continue to be available through the company's distribution network.

"With this latest regional deal, BlackBerry has now achieved full global coverage for licensees in all markets to manufacture BlackBerry-branded devices, proving the company is delivering on its licensing strategy and accelerating its transition to be a leading security software and services company," BlackBerry said in a statement.

The agreement between BlackBerry and Optiemus Infracom also supports the Indian government's 'Make in India' initiative, it said.

Under the terms of the agreement, BlackBerry will license its security software and services suite, as well as related brand assets to Optiemus Infracom, it added.