Smartphone pioneer Blackberry has signed an agreement to acquire the German mobile security firm Secusmart, the Canadian company said on Tuesday.
Blackberry and Secusmart have been working together since 2009.
Last year, the German Government chose the Blackberry 10 for the Government’s classified communications for their highest officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Revelations last year that the US National Security Agency had tapped Merkel’s mobile phone calls have prompted outrage in Germany.
Secusmart provides anti-eavesdropping solutions for Government organisations, enterprises and telecommunications service providers through high-security voice and data encryption.
The buy is supposed to lower growing security costs and address security “threats ranging from individual privacy to national security,” said John Chen, Blackberry’s Executive Chairman and Chief Executive officer in the statement.
Hans-Christoph Quelle, Managing Director of Secusmart, said the company saw “significant opportunities to introduce Secusmart’s solutions to more of BlackBerry’s Government and enterprise customers around the world.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition still requires regulatory approvals.