ZTE To Launch 1st U.S. Handset Via MetroPCS

DALLAS - The first cellular handset from ZTE U.S.A., a subsidiary of China-based ZTE Corp., will be available in February through carrier MetroPCS.

The company's midtier dual-band 800/1900MHz CDMA phone, the clamshell ZTE C88, features dual 2-inch and 1-inch LCD color displays, talktime up to three hours, standby time up to 120 hours, a polyphonic ringer, 60MB of embedded user memory, a camera, Bluetooth and a WAP Web browser. MetroPCS's pricing wasn't disclosed.

The first phone will be available in all MetroPCS markets, which for now consist of the Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa, Daytona and Melbourne, Fla.; Atlanta; Dallas; Detroit; and San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, Calif., metropolitan areas. The company also owns or has access to wireless licenses covering a population of about 140 million, including 14 of the top 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country.

ZTE U.S.A. also has a contract to supply additional CDMA phones to the carrier, which has 3.7 million subscribers for its no long-term contract, flat rate, unlimited usage plans, the companies said. ZTE USA offers handsets and wireless infrastructure to carriers.