BlackBerry hopes for new revenue stream with communications platform

BlackBerry's headquarters in Waterloo, Ont. is shown on Wednesday, June 22, 2016. (Eduardo Lima / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

BlackBerry is launching a new product this month to allow developers to add secure text, video and voice messaging into apps.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based company says the product, named BBM Enterprise SDK, can be used in apps requiring sensitive communication -- for instance, between financial advisers and investors, or surgeons in different rooms in a hospital.

The cloud-based communications platform for developers will be available worldwide later this month for iOS and Android, and pricing will be subscription rather than usage based.

BlackBerry's chief operating officer Marty Beard said this is a new revenue stream for the company that is expected to drive growth.

He said the former smartphone maker has been making an aggressive shift into becoming a pure software company and this is part of that transition.

In 2016, BlackBerry announced it would stop making smartphones, and has since signed multiple deals with companies that will license its software, and make and sell BlackBerry-branded phones.