BlackBerry is in talks with Cisco, Google and SAP about selling them all or parts of itself, Reuters reports, citing unnamed sources close to the matter. The deal would be an alternative to the preliminary agreement reached weeks ago with a group, led by BlackBerry's biggest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings, to take the company private for about USD 4.7 billion. This bid has raised some skepticism due to financing questions.
BlackBerry has invited preliminary expressions of interest from potential buyers, which also include Intel and Asian companies LG and Samsung. Interested parties can state their interest by early next week. According to the same sources, the potential technology buyers have been especially interested in BlackBerry's secure server network and patent portfolio, although doubts about the assets' value remain an issue.
Private equity firms that have showed interest in BlackBerry, including Cerberus Capital Management, have requested additional financial details about the company’s various business segments, two of the sources said. That process could take another few weeks, as BlackBerry focuses on taking bids from industry peers.
