Samsung Close to Deal with Two Large U.S. Agencies(FBI & Navy)

Samsung Electronics is close to signing deals for its devices with two US government agencies, said two people familiar with the matter, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The deals, one a large order with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the other a smaller order with the US Navy, haven't yet closed, according to these people. Samsung has invested heavily in its enterprise and government push, hiring executives away from BlackBerry, creating an enterprise-focused division within the company, and collaborating with third-party software firms to improve the security on its devices.

The Samsung devices aimed at the FBI and Navy, for example, will come preloaded with the company's KNOX security offering, according to a person familiar with the deals, meant to add a layer of security to the standard Android operating system from Google.

But the FBI and Navy orders would represent the first US government contracts for Samsung after the smartphone maker received approval from the US Department of Defence earlier in 2013 for its devices to be used in the Pentagon.