BlackBerry and Foxconn signed a 5-year contract at the end of December last year under which the latter will be designing, producing and take care of the logistics for a range of low-end low-cost smartphones for the emerging markets with a BlackBerry branding. Nothing has come out of this partnership yet, but chances are that the two companies will be revealing ‘Jakarta’ and other smartphones at MWC 2013.
According to a report on Focus Taiwan that the two companies will be unveiling their artifacts during Mobile World Congress at the end of February.
Terry Gou, Foxconn chairman, revealed on Sunday that the two companies will show off their latest devices in Barcelona, Spain next month.
“We are working with them to design a new device, and we will showcase multiple devices at the trade show in Barcelona in February.”
BlackBerry hasn’t made headlines at MWC since a couple of years and the cancellation of BlackBerry Live this year could be an indication that the Canadian smartphone manufacturer wants to change that.
US and European fans might not see launch of the devices in the regions as the two companies have come together to create smartphones from the emerging market with Indonesia as the primary market with other markets to follow.
Among the to-be revealed products one cloud be BlackBerry Jakarta. According to Gou, BlackBerry was lacking the manufacturing capabilities and partnership with Foxonn will resolve the problem, but he admired BlackBerry 10 platform for strengthening the security.
Foxconn stated that other than the five year pact, the two have the intentions to combine on investments and global marketing.
