Taiwan smartphone maker HTC unveils brand in China

Taiwan's HTC said Tuesday it plans to sell smartphones in China under its own brand name as it looks to the huge market as a critical growth engine for its products.

HTC Corporation, the island's leading smartphone maker, also announced a partnership with China Mobile -- the world's biggest telecom operator with more than 500 million subscribers.

"We are proud to introduce the HTC brand in China and look forward to bringing a fresh customer-centric smartphone experience to consumers in China," HTC chairwoman Cher Wang said in a statement.

The company said it will introduce four new smartphones to China including two touch-screen models designed exclusively for China Mobile.

HTC branded goods are expected to hit the mainland markets from late next month or in September.

Previously HTC was primarily a manufacturer of handsets for other brands and has been selling phones in China under the Dopod name.

Analysts said the latest move would keep HTC progressing at a fast pace as demand from North America and Europe -- currently the firm's two major markets -- are expected to slow next year.

"If successful, the mainland market will emerge as the major source of momentum for HTC in the years ahead," Kuo Ming-chi, an analyst at the Taipei-based Digitimes, told AFP.

Currently Dopod has only a 1.6 percent share of China's telephone market.

HTC aims to sell up to 33 million cellphones worldwide next year, up from its forecast of 24 million units for this year.

-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this story --

(c) 2010 AFP