BlackBerry Ltd is
working with Boeing Co on Boeing’s high-security Android-based smartphone, the
Canadian mobile technology company’s chief executive said on Friday.
The Boeing Black phone
being developed by the Chicago-based aerospace and defense contractor, which is
best known for jetliners and fighter planes, can self-destruct if it is
tampered with.
The Boeing Black
device encrypts calls and is aimed at government agencies and others that need
to keep communications and data secure.
“We’re pleased to
announce that Boeing is collaborating with BlackBerry to provide a secure
mobile solution for Android devices utilizing our BES 12 platform,” BlackBerry
CEO John Chen said on a conference call held to discuss its quarterly results.
“That, by the way, is
all they allow me to say.”
The BlackBerry
Enterprise Service, or BES 12, will allow clients such as corporations and
government agencies to manage and secure not just BlackBerry devices on
internal networks, but those that run on rival operating systems such as
Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.
The Boeing phone uses
dual SIM cards to enable it to access multiple cell networks and can be
configured to connect with biometric sensors and satellites. Boeing has begun
offering the phone to potential customers.
