This Weeks 3G News By Photos

Europe : Visitors to ZTE's booth (B04, Hall 8) at the upcoming 3GSM World Congress (Feb 13-16, 2006) in Barcelona will be able to see over 20 models of ZTE's self-developed wireless terminals including 3G handsets, 2G handsets and HSDPA-based data cards, most of them being seen in Europe for the first time.

3G handset models on show in Barcelona include the F866 ( more here ), ZTE's stylish clamshell tri-band handset and the first handset the company has sold into the European market. In December 2005, over 300,000 F866 handsets were shipped to the U.K. and are today available from 3 as part of its pay-as-you-go offer to customers.

The ZTE F608 is ZTE's latest 3G handset to come out of development. In addition to traditional 3G services, this model also supports Bluetooth, external memory and a dual 300K and a 1.3 Mega pixel camera. Customers can shoot pictures with this handset conveniently both from the front and the back side of the phone.

"In 2006, Europe will be a strategic market for ZTE's terminal business. We will develop terminal products customized to European customers' needs and this is reflected in the full range of products across all price points that are on display in Barcelona. We hope European customers can understand our products and our R&D capability better through the show," said Zhou Lingling, VP of ZTE Handsets Division.

As an innovator in wireless technologies, ZTE is at the forefront of product developments based on the 3.5G technology HSDPA. The MF330, the company's first HSDPA terminal data card, supports a download speed of 3.6 Mbps and provides operators with a clear path for increasing data usage and revenue.

"In the 3G market, most revenue comes from data services such as streaming media entertainment services. The high download speed offered by the MF330 can help mobile operators develop differentiated services in broadband markets and really add to their competitive edge," added Zhou Lingling.

In addition to its 3G products, ZTE will also bring 2G terminals to the show including both CDMA and GSM handsets. Of the CDMA handsets, ZTE's C150 and C220 are very popular in Asian markets and have created the sales record of over 40,000 units sold in one day in India and have been branded by the local operator Tata as "Star" and "Ace" respectively. To date, ZTE has sold over 5 million CDMA handsets in the global market, which means one out of 20 CDMA users are using ZTE's CDMA handsets.

The GSM handsets on exhibit include the very popular low-end model A12 as well as the high-end model E3, a smartphone that supports GPRS/ WAP/ MMS, a 1.3 mega pixel built-in camera and 270 degree rotating screen. The latter has been regarded as representing the highest R&D capability of Chinese handset makers.