Remember how BlackBerry recently agreed to be acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited? Well as part of the agreement, the device maker was granted permission to shop itself around some more while Fairfax completed its due diligence period, and it sounds like BlackBerry is taking advantage of that opportunity.
Sources speaking to Reuters say that BlackBerry is currently in talks with Google, Cisco Systems and SAP about selling parts or all of itself to them. Additionally, the Waterloo-based firm has reportedly approached Intel, LG and Samsung to let it know by early next week if they've got any interest in a strategic purchase of BlackBerry.
None of the aforementioned companies commented on the rumor, and so far it's not clear which of them, if any, will actually make a bid. The companies are reportedly interested in BlackBerry's secure network of servers and its patent portfolio, though there are some questions as to the exact value of all of BlackBerry's assets.
A report from earlier this year claimed that BlackBerry wanted to sell itself off by November, and a recent company filing showed that the value of its assets is likely to be cut in half over the next 18 months. Taking all of that into consideration, it's not terribly surprising to hear that Thorsten and Co. are exploring all of their options.
Whether or not one of the companies involved in talks with BlackBerry actually bites remains to be seen, but if BlackBerry does agree to a different deal, it'll have to fork a termination fee over to Fairfax Financial Holdings. The due diligence period that Fairfax is currently involved in is expected to wrap up by Nov. 4, so if BlackBerry really does want to strike a deal with another technology firm, it'd better get to work.
Via Reuters
