Texas-based OnwardMobility has pledged to release a new phone featuring a physical keyboard sometime next year.

The outfit said it had reached an agreement with both BlackBerry and FIH Mobile Limited - a subsidiary of Foxconn - to create a new 5G BlackBerry Android phone with a physical keyboard.

The device is slated to be available in Europe and North America sometime in the first half of 2021. That said, this new BlackBerry phone will have slightly different ambitions than the previous BlackBerry handsets produced by TCL, as OnwardMobility is planning to target its BlackBerry phone at businesses and enterprise professionals who want something that delivers both a tactile typing experience and an emphasis on privacy and security.

When it comes to producing a new BlackBerry phone, OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin said: "Enterprise professionals are eager for secure 5G devices that enable productivity, without sacrificing the user experience. BlackBerry smartphones are known for protecting communications, privacy, and data."

BlackBerry CEO John Chen issued similar sentiments, saying that "BlackBerry is thrilled OnwardMobility will deliver a BlackBerry 5G smartphone device with physical keyboard leveraging our high standards of trust and security synonymous with our brand. We are excited that customers will experience the enterprise and government level security and mobile productivity the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will offer".