Vodafone Group and Huawei Technologies announced today a landmark agreement that will see the Chinese manufacturer supply exclusive Vodafone-branded consumer 3G handsets for Vodafone across 21 countries for at least 5 years.
The handsets will only carry the Vodafone name, the first time the company has offered devices branded in this way for the consumer market. The agreement demonstrates Vodafone’s ability to utilise its scale to deliver increasing value to its customers.
The agreement marks Huawei’s first significant entry into the European handset market. Vodafone anticipates offering the first Vodafone-branded, Huawei-manufactured handset, a 3G model, in September 2006.
Peter Bamford, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Group said: “This agreement with Huawei shows the cost benefits Vodafone’s size and global reach can bring to our customers. We will be able to offer even better 3G phones at more competitive prices across our markets.”
Ping Guo, Senior Vice President of Huawei Technologies said: “This agreement will enable Huawei to become one of the world’s leading players in handset development and production. We already have a strong presence in the global market and this agreement offers us a great opportunity to expand into new regions alongside the world’s leading mobile community. We consider the partnership with Vodafone as a sign of the trust they have in the quality of our research and production.”