ZTE Handsets to Enter the U.S. Market

This was only a matter of time. Following in the footsteps of LG and Samsung, Asian companies Pantech and HTC have begun selling their cell phones in the U.S. in the past several years. Now, ZTE is jumping into the fray as well: On Dec. 19, the Chinese company announced it will make its first handset available in the U.S. through MetroPCS.

And I have every reason to believe that ZTE's handsets might spread to other U.S. carriers as well. The phone's specs, as presented in filings with the Federal Communications Commission, look good: The flip phone comes with two color displays, a microSD port, and shiny good looks. And, since the phone will be made and designed in China, chances are, it will be pretty cheap.

Already, ZTE plans to introduce multiple handsets through MetroPCS. And the company's phones could, eventually, make it into Sprint. In July, the company announced a deal with Sprint Nextel to supply the carrier with cards and modems for its WiMax network. While that build-out is in question, the deal could help ZTE worm its way into Sprint's phone line-up.