China-based TechFaith aims to ship 1.5 million handsets in 2008

21 March 2008
China-based handset and handset-solution provider TechFaith Wireless Communication Technology aims to ship 1.5 million units, including one million handsets and 500,000 smartphones, in 2008, compared to a total of 600,000 units shipped in 2007, company president and COO Gilbert Lee said recently in Taipei.
In addition, TechFaith has also ventured into the development of MID (mobile Internet device) products and Android-based handsets, with plans to launch its first Android-based product in the fourth quarter of this year at the earliest, Lee noted.
With established business relations with Nokia, Motorola, LG Electronics, and Toshiba already, TechFaith is also seeking opportunities to cooperate with Taiwan-based handset vendors, including BenQ, to offer handset production services, Lee stated.
In other news, TechFaith has transferred a 31% stake it held in a joint venture set up with China-based handset maker BYD in early 2007, to its partner. Lee said that the two companies will continue to cooperate on handset production for international brand vendors.
TechFaith did not make equity investments in the joint venture and instead contributed a 300-engineer team, TechFaith said in a statement released in February 2007. With the transfer of the 31% stake, the venture now becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of BYD.

China's TechFaith Sets Up Handset Joint Venture with BYD

2 Jan 2008

Handset OEM, China TechFaith Wireless is reported to have set up a joint venture with China-based handset component maker BYD to focus on the development of CDMA handsets and other devices, according to sources from the Taiwan handset industry.
Taiwan based DigiTimes reports that TechFaith has taken a 31% stake in the joint venture, while BYD contributed the remaining 69% capital. The new company is headquartered in Beijing with a workforce of 500 staff.
TechFaith has been expanding its distribution reach aggressively in the past couple of months having secured orders for CDMA 1X and mid-end CDMA/GSM dual mode handsets in Nigeria and Kenya along with a supply contract for mid to high-end CDMA 1X handsets to an unnamed Indian operator.
BYD recently raised US$758 million in a stock market floatation on the Hong Kong stock market. The floatation was at the lower end of market expectations due to a general weak demand - but mainly due to outstanding legal action from rival firm, Foxconn International Holdings (FIH) which is alleging that its commercial secrets have been used by BYD.

China-based Huawei and ZTE to enter global smartphone market in 2008, say sources

30 Nov, 2007

China-based Huawei Technologies and ZTE are expected to start making inroads into the global smartphone market in 2008, joining Amoi Electronics and TechFaith Wireless as new rivals to Taiwan-based smartphone vendors, according to sources in Taiwan's handset industry.
Huawei is expected to launch Windows Mobile- and Symbian-based smartphones, targeting telecom service providers in Europe, said the industry sources, noting that Huawei may also push sales of own-brand smartphones to other markets.
Huawei has been shipping 3G mobile phones to Vodafone with total shipments already exceeding 800,000 units, the sources indicated. In addition, Huawei is also a supplier of 3G data cards for more than 150 telecom service providers around the globe.
ZTE has ventured into the development of Linux- and Windows Mobile-based smartphones, the sources indicated, noting that ZTE has established business relationships with Vodafone, Hutchison Telecom and BT, and the company is also a leading provider of CDMA handsets in India.