Huawei playing catch up on data cards
Huawei today launched an HSDPA data card capable of a theoretical maxiumum 7.2Mbps throughput. At the same time, Option, which has had a commercially shipping 7.2 card (the GlobeTrotter GTMAX 7.2 product) for months, announced a 7.2 version of its Express range.
Huawei’s E600 card is aimed pretty squarely at the European and Asian market, where the operator has deals currently with T-Mobile, Vodafone and Telefonica.
Ren Feng, senior marketing manager of Huawei’s terminal business unit, said that his company is on course to ship 1.5 million units in 2006 (from a standing start two years’ ago), and said that was now enough to make it the number one data card company in the world.
Guo Ping, executive vp of the terminals business unit, said that operators are drawn to Huawei’s fast turn around times, its ability to customize and the extra value they can create for operators by producing at lower cost.
He added that the partnership with Vodafone was proving a success, with the v710 3G phone proving popular. Vodafone launched the phone in the UK and with SmarTone in Hong Kong.
Douglas Ros, VP of business development and marketing at Option, said that he was unable to comment on Option's stats before it releases year end finanancials, but he did say that Options sales target is "somewhat higher than the stated [Huawei's figure] 1.5 Million units".
Whoever sells more millions, it will be good news for Qualcomm, which licenses its baseband processor chipsets to both companies.
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