Canada-based communication solutions firm BlackBerry on Thursday said it is in discussions with regulatory authorities and telecom operators in India to launch virtual SIM solution that will allow customers to use nine different numbers through a single SIM.
"We will soon be rolling out virtual SIM solution in India, hopefully by the end of this year. The technology is ready, we are working on regulatory clearances,” BlackBerry India Managing Director Sunil Lalvani said.
The company is in discussions with telecom operators and is also conducting pilots for the solution.
Blackberry had acquired virtual identity solutions provider Movirtu last year. This is a cross-platform technology, hence users of iPhone or phone-based on Android or Windows operating system can also use it.
"This technology allows an individual have up to nine identities using a single SIM. While from technology perspective a user can choose have nine numbers from different operators, in India due to the regulatory environment customers can opt only for one operator,” he added.
The solution has been deployed in certain parts of Africa and the company is in discussions for roll-outs in Europe and other Asia Pacific countries as well.
The smartphone maker also announced the launch of its all-touch phone ‘Leap’, primarily targeting the young entrepreneurs and start-ups in the country.
While the price of the smartphone was not revealed it is expected to be above Rs. 20,000. It will go on sale starting next week in India.
It comes with 5-inch HD screen and is powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM 8960 processor with 2GB RAM. It has 16GB storage with micro-SD support for up to 128GB. It has 8MP rear camera and a 2800 mAH non-removable Lithium Ion battery.
