Qualcomm may be bidder for ailing BlackBerry

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal that later appeared in the New York Times and on Bloomberg News, a consortium that includes Qualcomm, private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, and BlackBerry's cofounders, Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, is preparing a bid for the ailing company.

BlackBerry once was the leader in smartphones but has fallen far behind Apple's iPhone and a number of devices that use Google's Android operating system.

People theorizing on the possible deal feel Qualcomm could be a member of the possible bidding group because it has experience in wireless and is a large corporate entity that could backstop BlackBerry's losses. Monday is the deadline for any bid.