Europe
: Vodafone Group and Huawei Technologies announced a landmark agreement
that will see the Chinese manufacturer supply exclusive Vodafone-branded
consumer 3G handsets for Vodafone across 21 countries for at least
5 years.
The handsets will only
carry the Vodafone name, the first time the company has offered devices
branded in this way for the consumer market. The agreement demonstrates
Vodafone's ability to utilise its scale to deliver increasing value
to its customers.
The agreement marks Huawei's
first significant entry into the European handset market. Vodafone
anticipates offering the first Vodafone-branded, Huawei-manufactured
handset, a 3G model, in September 2006.
Peter
Bamford ( inset ), Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Group
said: "This agreement with Huawei shows the cost benefits Vodafone's
size and global reach can bring to our customers. We will be able
to offer even better 3G phones at more competitive prices across our
markets."
Ping Guo, Senior
Vice President of Huawei Technologies said: "This agreement will
enable Huawei to become one of the world's leading players in handset
development and production. We already have a strong presence in the
global market and this agreement offers us a great opportunity to
expand into new regions alongside the world's leading mobile community.
We consider the partnership with Vodafone as a sign of the trust they
have in the quality of our research and production."