BlackBerry CEO John S. Chen indicated the company would consider divesting its handset business if need be.
“If I cannot make money on handsets, I will not be in the handset business,” said Chen in an interview with Reuters. Chen indicated the timeframe for making such a decision is short, though he didn’t provide more specifics.
Sales of BlackBerry handsets have plunged in recent years amidst stiff competition. In the last several quarters older BlackBerry 7 devices have outsold newer BlackBerry 10 devices. BlackBerry has already inked a deal with Foxconn to design and manufacture low-cost smartphones.