Next Generation Chinese Multi-Media Phones

Europe France : Wavecom SA has been selected by CEC Telecom Co., Ltd (CECT) to supply its wireless technology for use in a multimedia camera phone, due to be launched in China this fall.

Inset is WISMO Pac P5186 module used by CECT.

A unit of China Electronics Corporation (CEC), China's largest state-owned electronics and information company, CECT focuses on the production and marketing of advanced technology mobile phones. With licenses to sell both CDMA and GSM phones, the company has already brought more than 20 mobile phones to market, and plans to develop several high-end models over the coming months.

The company's new CECT V778 multimedia camera phone, which also boasts MMS, dictionary, 64-chord polyphonic ring tones and downloadable games, will build upon Wavecom's recently launched Compact Phones Development Lab. In addition to the quadband (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) hardware platform WISMO Pac P5186, CECT has selected software options such as Java(tm), E-OTD, AMR, MMS, WAP 2.0 and Bluetooth, as well as a wide range of support services to ensure a smooth integration process and regulatory approval.

Mr. Sun Xueming, CTO at CECT, commenting on the agreement with Wavecom, said: "The agreement with Wavecom will support CECT's aggressive expansion into China's handset market. With our intense focus on producing next generation multimedia phones, we need to be sure that the wireless technology at the heart of our products is capable of supporting all the additional features. Wavecom's extensive wireless technology offering provides the flexibility, functionality and reliability we need to meet our customers' demand for multimedia applications. Wavecom's technological and industry expertise, particularly in supplying the Asia-Pacific market, makes the company our ideal partner as we move forward."

Didier Dutronc, Managing Director of Wavecom Asia Pacific Limited, is delighted with CECT's decision. "It is very exciting for Wavecom to be working with CECT at this pivotal stage of the company's development. We are confident that our experience and understanding of delivering technology solutions to companies working in the Chinese and Asia Pacific markets will help CECT in its expansion," he said.

According to a recent study released by Portelligent, Chinese handset makers are becoming increasingly competitive both in their domestic market and internationally. The study concluded that Chinese manufacturers, often in close cooperation with Korean and Taiwanese companies, produce mobile telephones with excellent designs and bring to market products that compare favourably with those offered by the world's top-tier manufacturers.