BlackBerry has agreed to integrate its infotainment and security solution into Tata Motors" Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) vehicles as part of a multi-year licensing agreement between the two companies. It remains unclear, however, how much JLR will pay to BlackBerry for the software solution.
Under the deal, BlackBerry will license technologies from its QNX and Certicom subsidiaries for the automaker"s vehicles. Additionally, BlackBerry"s engineering team will help develop new Electronic Control Unit modules for the vehicles, including a "next-generation infotainment system."
For the uninitiated, QNX"s technology is a software stack used to build connected infotainment systems. It includes middleware technology to manage media, web browsing, speech integration, smartphone connectivity, over-the-air software updates, Bluetooth, and acoustics processing for hands-free calls. Certicom, meanwhile, will provide the security system that will work alongside the infotainment solution.
The agreement represents the latest licensing deal involving BlackBerry"s automotive ambitions. Most recently, the Canadian firm and Qualcomm teamed up to integrate some of Qualcomm’s hardware platforms with BlackBerry’s QNX software for use in virtual cockpit controllers, telematics, electronic control gateways, digital instrument clusters, and infotainment systems.
Source: BlackBerry via Reuters