BlackBerry Announces Deal With EnStream LP

In a

issued Thursday morning BlackBerry Limited

announced a new three-year deal with EnStream LP, a joint venture owned by Bell, Rogers and TELUS. The agreement will enable Black Berry to provide secure a secure platform that supports transaction services between leading banks and consumers. "Together with EnStream and partners like them around the world, BlackBerry can better reach customers and provide a complete solution for banks with opportunities in the mobile payments space," said John Sims, President of Global Enterprise Services, BlackBerry. According to Gartner, the total value of transactions using mobile technology is expected to grow from $35 billion in 2012 to $173 billion in 2017, at a compound annual growth rate of 31 percent. "We expect most major Canadian banks and mobile operators to connect through this platform to meet consumer demand for efficient and safe digital transactions," said Almis Ledas, Chief Operating Officer, Enstream LP. Shares of BlackBerry are trading up about 1 percent in the pre-market following the announcement.