Waterloo, ON – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in mobile communications, today announced that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has approved the use of derived Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) credentials on BlackBerry® OS and BlackBerry® 10 smartphones. The approval further validates BlackBerry’s security capabilities and trusted mobile solutions that are deployed throughout the DoD.

Derived PKI credentials eliminate the need for users to rely on Common Access Card hardware and software to securely access data on DoD unclassified networks. DoD personnel have a more seamless user experience and increased productivity, as they simply use a BlackBerry device to access, manage and share information critical to their missions. The approval includes commercially available smartphones running BlackBerry OS version 7 or higher as well as BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2 or higher.

“Security is the cornerstone of BlackBerry technology, which is why we have served as a proud and trusted mobile partner of government agencies for more than a decade,” said David Kleidermacher, Chief Security Officer, BlackBerry. “BlackBerry believes that security should be an enabler of productivity and collaboration in both the public and private sector. The DoD approval demonstrates how highly secure mobile solutions designed to protect valuable national assets can also enhance efficiency among users, simplify management for administrators and reduce costs.”

BlackBerry provides an end-to-end portfolio to secure mobile communications including voice, text, messaging, data and files. The Company has more than 70 government certifications and approvals, more than any other mobile vendor, and is the trusted mobility partner of all G7 governments and 16 of the G20. For more information about mobile solutions for the public sector, visit www.BlackBerry.com/government.