Faded BlackBerry Calls on TCL in Search of New Life

(Beijing) — Chinese electronics giant TCL Corp. will make BlackBerry Ltd. smartphones under a new licensing agreement, as the former tries to reverse its slipping sales and the latter exits a business that once made its email-optimized handsets a household name.

Under their long-term agreement, TCL, a top TV brand in China, will design, manufacture and sell smartphones bearing the BlackBerry name. They will come installed with security and related software products from BlackBerry, which is trying to transition away from its original business as a smartphone maker.