BlackBerry Launches Enhanced SIM-based Licensing Solution for China Mobile Hong Kong Enterprise Customers
HONG KONG, CHINA--(March 27, 2015) - BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today announced that China Mobile Hong Kong Co., Ltd. ("CMHK"), the wholly owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited, the world's largest mobile network operator, will offer Enhanced SIM-Based Licensing (ESBL) by BlackBerry to its enterprise customers. With the new ESBL offering, CMHK enterprise customers can get BES12, a cross-platform EMM solution by BlackBerry, integrated with their wireless monthly subscriber billing. The ESBL offering in conjunction with BES12 will support iOS, Android™, Windows Phone® and BlackBerry® 10.
The offering will enable CMHK to resell to its enterprise customers licenses for BlackBerry EMM services as a bundled offer along with airtime and a data plan. ESBL enables CMHK to offer enterprise customers granular monthly billing, and the ability to consolidate all users to one monthly billing date. This helps CMHK facilitate how customers pay for BlackBerry EMM services, which can quickly and easily be selected at the carrier point of sale. ESBL will also integrate with CMHK's existing carrier provisioning systems, helping to identify a customer's existing licensing status as well as upsell opportunities.
The ESBL offering will provide enterprise customers an improved purchasing experience, meaning they can consolidate operational costs into one monthly invoice. The license migration process is eliminated, since ESBL licensing includes version upgrades and updates. Enterprises with BYOD policies will also have the opportunity to purchase Bring Your Own Licenses (BYOL) with ESBL.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Alan Chow, Chief Marketing Officer, CMHK, said, "CMHK is committed to delivering the highest customer satisfaction levels through introducing the most advanced technology and innovation. Our partnership with BlackBerry is just one part of this, meaning we can extend the benefits of Enhanced SIM-Based Licensing to our enterprise customers. We are confident CMHK can boost enterprise customer satisfaction by becoming the one-stop service provider for customers buying devices, data plans and enterprise mobility software and services - bringing the convenience of one monthly bill irrespective of what service the customer is purchasing."
"As the leading global EMM provider, BlackBerry is constantly looking at ways to drive additional value for our carrier partners, by better addressing our mutual customers' evolving mobility needs. With BES12, BlackBerry is uniquely positioned to combine an operator's device and data billing with customers' consumption of additional services. ESBL is designed to offer enterprises a more productive, secure and flexible business solution. We are delighted to see CMHK extend these benefits to its customers," said Gallant Leon, Managing Director, North Asia, BlackBerry.
BES12 provides expanded EMM capabilities that can manage any mobile deployment model such as BYOD, COPE and COBO, and is built on BlackBerry's trusted network.
About BlackBerry
A global leader in mobile communications, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.
BlackBerry Investor Relations
+1-519-888-7465
investor_relations@blackberry.com