Second tier player, Alcatel One Touch, ZTE Open, try Mozilla, Firefox OS

https://www.google.com.hk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=firefox+os+demo+youtube&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CC0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DpUgYjWfYwcM&ei=pTDSUeTRNa2Tigfd4YHgBg&usg=AFQjCNGin7wI1mkhdcLBV19I8mQDHLDq1Q

Mozilla is beginning regional rollouts of the Alcatel One Touch and ZTE Open, the first commercially released smartphones running the open-source software development initiative's new Firefox OS.

Telefónica will begin selling the ZTE Open to Spanish subscribers this week for $90 (€69), while Deutsche Telekom will introduce the smartphones in Poland in the near future. In all, Mozilla has signed more than 20 hardware and operator partners worldwide, including Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), Etisalat, Smart and Telecom Italia: Telenor will launch its first Firefox OS phones in Central and Eastern Europe this year, with devices slated to roll out in additional markets in the months ahead.

Firefox OS (formerly Boot to Gecko) promises a new phone architecture that relies entirely on the Web to enable HTML5 applications with complete access to core device APIs. According to Mozilla, developers can create Firefox OS apps from existing websites by adding an app manifest--a JSON file that describes the app, including its name, its icons and a human-readable description.

In addition to core services like voice calling, text messaging, email, Web browsing and a camera, Firefox OS includes built-in social features like Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter integration, Nokia (NYSE:NOK) Here maps and Firefox Marketplace, which offers HTML5-based apps across a range of categories including games, entertainment, news, business and productivity. Mozilla also will tailor app availability for each regional market.

In late April, Mozilla and OEM partner Geeksphone released the first Firefox developer preview phones. The Keon, priced at $119, boasts a 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, 4 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM, a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3-megapixel camera, MicroSD storage and support for 2G and 3G networks. The more powerful Peak, offered at $194, includes a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (2-megapixel front), 4 GB ROM and 512 MB RAM.

ZTE Planning $880 Million R&D Center

­China's ZTE is planning a RMB6 billion (US$880 million) R&D centre in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province. The company said that its Xian Hi-tech Park would bring its research and development, production, outsourcing services and customer service training under one roof.
ZTE Planning $880 Million R&D Center
­China's ZTE is planning a RMB6 billion (US$880 million) R&D centre in Xian, the capital of Shaanxi province. The company said that its Xian Hi-tech Park would bring its research and development, production, outsourcing services and customer service training under one roof.

ZTE, Potevio Obtain HSDPA Licenses

Source : Chinatechnews

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2008-03-20

The Telecom Research Institute of China's Ministry of Information Industry has begun to issue the first batch of TD-SCDMA network licenses, and ZTE and Potevio have been among the first Chinese communications equipment providers to obtain their licenses.

To obtain an access license, a company's equipment must undergo a range of strict indoor and in-field tests. The series of wireless equipment provided by Potevio that fully supports TD-SCDMA HSDPA has passed the relevant telecom equipment tests and been given a licenses.

Though ZTE and Potevio have both confirmed obtaining their respective licenses, TD equipment providers Datang and TD Tech have not published their relevant information. These latter two companies are expected to gain their licenses soon.

TD HSDPA is an important technology that is used by TD-SCDMA to increase the speed of downloading capacity and data services. It is applicable for high-speed downlink data services such as online order programs, real-time news and live broadcasting of sports.

China-based ZTE aims to become a global top-five handset vendor

12 March 2008

China-based ZTE aims to become one of the top-five handset vendors in the global market within five years after shipping about 30 million handsets in 2007, according to sources at the Taiwan handset industry.
The sources, citing data from Gartner, pointed out that ZTE's handset shipments accounted for 1.2% of the global market in the fourth quarter of 2007, ranking as the world's seventh largest handset vendor.
ZTE has projected handset sales will account for 50% of its total revenues by 2012, compared to 20% in 2006 and 25% in 2007, the sources quoted an internal company estimate as saying.
To utilize its cooperation relationships with a number of telecom services providers around the globe, ZTE also plans to launch own-brand smartphones and multi-mode handsets to boost sales, in addition to current entry-level handsets, said the sources, noting that over 70% of the 30 million handsets ZTE shipped in 2007 were distributed by its worldwide telecom partners.
There are market rumors stating that ZTE is likely to acquire the handset unit of Motorola.

China's ZTE in Cooperation Talks with Motorola

17 Feb 2008

China's ZTE is reported to be in talks with Motorola over a wider cooperation - which could presumably spark rumours about a possible merger of the two companies respective handset divisions. Speaking to Reuters, Xiong Hui, a marketing vice president for handsets said that ZTE was looking to deepen its relationship with Motorola.

"We've been keeping in touch with Motorola on a wider cooperation," Hui said through a translator in an interview with Reuters. He did not give specific details about the companies' existing ties or their future plans.

ZTE recently started selling its first handsets in the USA, and has a long term partnership for low-cost phones with Vodafone.

Motorola's handset division has been valued at between US$9-12 billion. Last week, both Samsung and LG denied being interested in taking on Motorola's handset division.

Last week though, Motorola's Chief Executive Greg Brown said at the Mobile Congress World that the company is fully committed to its handset division, so a SonyEricsson style merger with another company might be more likely.

There have also been rumours that Motorola could be in talks with Nortel on a possible merger of their respective network infrastructure divisions. Nortel's current CEO, Mike Zafirovski was Motorola's president and chief operating officer before taking over as head of the Canada-based company in November 2005.

On the web: Reuters

China-based Huawei and ZTE expanding penetration in CDMA market

14 January 2008
China-based Huawei Technologies and ZTE both claim that they increased their penetration in the CDMA segment of the global telecom network infrastructure market in 2007, according sources of the companies.
Huawei secured a total of US$16 billion worth of telecom network infrastructure contracts in 2007, including US$7 billion for mobile telecom networks, the China-based media quoted company sources as saying.
Contracts for WCDMA networks reached 39 in 2007, bringing the total number of WCDMA contracts received so far by Huawei to 86, said the sources.
In other news, ZTE accounted for 33% of a total 188 global mobile network infrastructure deals announced in the first half of 2007, the company cited Gartner data as saying.
ZTE was particularly strong in the CDMA segment where it took the number one ranking in base stations delivery and the number of contracts signed in the six-month period, ZTE quoted data from Gartner as indicating in a press release.
ZTE also recorded a 300% increase in GSM shipments volume in the period, allowing the company to expand its global GSM capacity to 90 million network lines, according to the release.

Qtopia Phone Edition a Core Component of ZTE’s TD-SCDMA 3G Standard in China

17 Dec, 2007

Norway / China : Trolltech announced that Qtopia Phone Edition, the company’s application platform and user interface for Linux-based mobile phones, has been selected by Chinese mobile phone manufacturer ZTE as the Linux-based application framework for ZTE U980.

The U980 is ZTE’s mobile phone platform created for China’s national 3G standard TD-SCDMA. Smartphones based on this platform will be supplied through China Mobile and sold into the market.

ZTE is the biggest infrastructure supplier in China’s TD-SCDMA 3G market. To facilitate 3G smartphone development ZTE created the U980 platform to be one of the smartphone solutions used to create 3G phones. ZTE has long experience with Qtopia Phone Edition and Linux, having already released two Qtopia smartphones (the e3 and e700) in the Chinese market.

“Qtopia offers the advantage of a comprehensive development platform while being very flexible,” said Luo Zhong Sheng, Ph. D, General Manager, TD-SCDMA Product Line, Handsets Division of ZTE. “We hope to leverage both advantages when building our internal TD-SCDMA mobile phone platform, U980. It will enable us to create new and complex devices quickly and efficiently while supporting the Chinese 3G standard.” [How about Google, Android?]

“This additional relationship with ZTE affirms their confidence in Qtopia as a fundamental element of their smartphone platform,” said Haavard Nord, Trolltech CEO. “We are honored to be part of the deployment of TD-SCDMA in China through this new cooperation with ZTE. We believe that this partnership is the result of our early commitment to TD-SCDMA technology and to China.”

Trolltech’s award-winning Qtopia® is unrivaled as the application platform for efficient creation of virtually any type of Linux-based device. Qtopia’s comprehensive product family offers an unmatched flexibility and control for customizing the user experience.
Qtopia Phone Edition extends the flexibility and cost-savings benefits of Linux to the mobile market, serving as an alternative to proprietary software platforms, such as Windows Mobile and Symbian.

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.

ZTE Reports Sharp Rise in Q3 Revenues and Profits

29 Oct, 2007,

China's ZTE Corp. has reported that for the nine months ended 30 September 2007, revenue from the Group's operations amounted to RMB23.448 billion (US$3.14 billion), representing an increase of 47% compared to the same period last year. Net profit amounted to RMB603 million (US$80.6 million), representing an increase of 46% compared to the same period last year.
In the third quarter, the revenue of ZTE climbed 53 percent to RMB8.2 billion (US$1.1 billion) as compared to the same period last year, and the net profit surged by 116% to RMB143 million (US$19 million) as compared to the same period last year.
The company said that domestic telecoms market enjoyed stable growth during the nine months ended 30 September 2007. Growth in investments was underpinned by expenditure mainly in three areas, namely TD-SCDMA network building, core network revamping and upgrading by carriers and informatisation projects, while investments in mobile telecommunication network equipment further increased as a percentage of total investments in the telecommunications sector. The Group has also entered a stage of closer cooperation with major domestic carriers such as China Mobile and China Unicom.
The international market for telecommunications equipment also sustained stable growth thanks to technological innovations and market demands that had provided increasing driving force. Rapid changes in new technologies and fast growth in emerging markets in Asia and Africa became key factors for growth as well as the focus of competition for the telecommunications industry. The Group had also enhanced cooperation with mainstream carriers.
Looking to the final quarter, ZTE intends to achieve continuous growth by strengthening its ties with leading international carriers, enhancing resource integration and improving operational efficiency, enlarging market shares in prestigious products such as GSM and CDMA and increasing investments in TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000 and other products.