14 DAY TRIAL // TCL Communication Technology Holdings, the exclusive manufacturer of Alcatel mobile phones, felt that O2 Wireless' national reach, low long distance rates and high-quality service made it the preferred choice to debut their chic European designed phones in the US. This new relationship provides O2 Wireless with a broader array of phones as well as a cost-effective phone option that will support its national prepaid presence. The first Alcatel handset to be introduced by a major GSM network operator in the U.S. has been dubbed OT-E206a.
"We are excited to be the first Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in the US to launch the OT-E206a product," commented Pete Grubb, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Locus Telecommunications. "We believe this product provides an excellent option that is uniquely positioned to support the cost-conscious prepaid cell phone segment. In addition, we are equally happy to be working with a leading manufacturer like TCL Communication Technology Holdings who has extensive experience in the GSM realm. We look forward to working with them to launch additional handset models in the near future."
"This new partnership allows us to strengthen our presence in the prepaid arena in the US with a partner that has the desire to grow alongside us," said Albert Wong, Executive Vice President of TCL Communication Technology Holdings. "We are excited to be working together and have new projects that will shortly be released."
Alcatel OT-E206a is just a basic entry-level dual-band (GSM 900 / 1800) handset that lacks GPRS, EDGE or 3G data connectivity technologies. The phone is also missing any USB or Bluetooth capabilities. It only packs a CSTN display (96x72 pixels resolution) supporting 65K colors, 2 preloaded games and a 720 mAh Li-Ion battery that offers 250 hours of standby and 5 hours of talk time.
The phone is expected to be available soon, but there's no word on its price yet.