Domestic maker releases 3G phone plan
23/2/2004 15:18
Konka Group said its third-generation phone will hit the market in
mid-2005 last weekend, becoming the first domestic phone maker ever releasing
the timetable for the high-end cell phone, today's Beijing Morning Post
reported.
Under the plan, Konka will track all the main three kinds of 3G
technology standards and narrow down its focus on camera-inset products this
year. In this period, it will input 500 million yuan (US$60 million). One of the
investment is to expand its Konka Central Research Institute, the group's 3G
research and development center launched in 2003.
In mid 2005, the group will
unveil its sample 3G handset and start marketing its multi-media phones.
From
2006 to 2008, it eyes to become a phone maker that covers a largest 3G product
line in China.
"In the 3G era, Konka aims to become not only a strong handset
maker, but also a leading player in the entire sector," said Huang Zhongtian,
general manager of Konka's phone making unit, ambitiously at the press
conference.
When asked which 3G standard Konka will choose for its phones, he
said the group will track all the main three standards, that is CDMA
(Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access) and TD-SCDMA (Time Division - Synchronous Code Division
Multiple Access).
"We have no right or capital to bet on which standard will
be finally widely accepted," Huang said, "And the only thing we can do is to
cover all the three."
Since Konka hasn't received a license for CDMA, a
standard that's widely accepted in the United States, from China's telecom
authority, industry analysts expected the company may focus on the other
two.
Developed from a home appliance producer, Konka has risen to be the
country's top 3 mobile phone manufacturer in the previous
year.
Jane Chen/ Shanghai Daily news
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