Some 6 billion euro
According to press agency Reuters, based on anonymous sources and obtained documents, Samsung would be willing to pay 13.35 to 15.49 dollar per share for Blackberry. The news has boosted Blackberry’s share instantly, up 30 %.
Including Blackberry’s debt, that would mean Samsung would pay 6 to 7.5 billion dollars (5.1 – 6.4 billion euro), which would be a huge sum for an ailing smartphone manufacturer. According to analysts, Samsung is mostly interested in Blackberry’s patents as those are invaluable in a highly competitive market and with an increasing number of court battles.
Both have collaborated since November 2014 with Blackberry’s security platform in Samsung’s newest Galaxy models, which in turn has given Blackberry additional income.
A bit more?
Blackberry was the absolute number 1 in smartphones at the turn of the century, but was quickly outclassed by Samsung and Apple. The company has had several brushes with bankruptcy and has even asked Facebook, in October 2013, whether it would be willing to buy the smartphone manufacturer. In the end, it decided to go ahead alone.
Canadian sources say the company is “aware” of the news, but according to Bloomberg, Blackberry has stated it “has not engaged in discussions with Samsung with respect to any possible offer to purchase BlackBerry.” However, it is said that management from both companies have met over the past week to talk about a possible deal and an anonymous source has indicated Blackberry often receives acquisition propositions, but that the owners want more than what Reuters has reported.
