Pantech Group, one of the leading Korean handset manufacturers, announced last week that it has signed a landmark agreement with Orange - the second biggest mobile service carrier in Europe, - to supply branded UMTS phones in France.

The agreement with Orange, marks Pantech's first partnership with a Europe-based global mobile operator.

The new product which will be made available through Orange, - the U4000 - is a modern and stylish UMTS phone. It features a video telephony function incorporating a 1.3 mega pixel camera and VGA camera, a 1.9 inch 260,000 color TFT and 72 polyphonic ringtones. Other features include Bluetooth, a Micro SD card slot and an MP3 player.

With the signing of this deal, Pantech now provides its phones to all the three biggest carriers in France, having secured agreements with SFR and Buoygues Telecom earlier this year. Pantech Group plans to accelerate its business in France, with the aim of becoming one of the top five mobile phone brands in France by the end of 2008.