BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) has been in decline for years, so it didn’t surprise anyone when it announced that a special committee would be looking into strategic options, which most people assume is a polite way of looking for buyers. Despite their troubles, BlackBerry has a number of valuable assets that could tempt corporate buyers, as Trefis Team reports at Forbes, but they may not all appeal to the same company.
Probably the most valuable asset the company has is its enterprise network, the backbone of the Push Email service that continues to be profitable and would be fairly successful if simply spun off as its own company. Mobile developers that want to attract more corporate clientele could be interested in getting hold of the secure network, especially Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) which is having a hard time establishing the Windows Phone as an alternative to the iPhone or the various mobiles running Android.
Blackberry BB10 is not just for mobile …
In the same vein, any company that wants to secure its position in the mobile world might be interested in buying BlackBerry’s patents, but there is another possibility that almost sounds futuristic. BB10 didn’t take off as a mobile OS, but that’s mostly because BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) itself had made too many missteps for an easy turnaround. The OS itself is supposedly very impressive and, because it is built on the real-time OS QNZ, it isn’t restricted to phones. A number of manufacturers are attempting to develop smart cars that are able to assist the driver, and buying BB10 could give those efforts a boost. It’s entirely possible that BB10 will become as popular iOS, but under the hood instead of in our pockets.
BlackBerry may find it easier to be creative as a private company
But as the Forbes article mentions there is still the possibility of selling the company intact. Prem Watsa who represents BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB)’s largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd (TSE:FFH), recently resigned from the BlackBerry board citing a conflict of interest. That could be a sign that the company is thinking of taking BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) private and attempting to turn things around without the pressure of quarterly earnings reports and nervous investors. BlackBerry still has a certain cachet in developing markets and could thrive by taking on a drastically different direction, something that would be a lot easier to do as a private company.
