Phones 4u will soon be teaming up with budget smartphone experts ZTE to launch their own brand of mobile phone, it has been revealed.
The UK retailer recently revealed that it would launching its own mobile network called LIFE Mobile, which would provide 4G services later in the year, and now it seems it’s planning the smartphones to go with it.
The news has been revealed in an internal magazine that’s especially for ZTE employees, in which Phones 4u boss Scott Hooton responded to questions about the retailer launching its own brand of phones by saying “We are planning it. Probably halfway through 2013.”
In the same interview, John Whittle, Head of Commercial at Phones 4u, said “We may do that in conjunction with ZTE” – hence why the interview was in ZTE’s employee magazine, we guess.
Although many are likely to still be unaware of ZTE, the Chinese manufacturer became the fifth largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world – not far behind the likes of Apple and Samsung.
In the past few years the company has grown, mostly due to the sales of cheap and mid-range Android smartphones that have become increasingly popular. ZTE has also made “white goods” phones that are rebranded and sold by UK networks, such as the Orange San Francisco.
With Phones 4u’s LIFE Mobile network looking set to launch a 4G service later on in the year we’re looking forward to seeing some bargain bundles with 4G ZTE phones.