TCL Communication champions 5G, new smartphones at MWC

TCL Communication Technology Holdings, the mobile device maker, introduced BlackBerry and Alcatel smartphones as well as the 2-in-1 Alcatel PLUS 12 tablet at Mobile World Congress (MWC).

Source: Blackberry website. The KEYone.

The BlackBerry product was one of TCL's highlights at MWC. TCL Communication launched the BlackBerry KEYone smartphone on February 25, just before MWC, following the inking of a licensing agreement with BlackBerry in late 2016. TCL chairman and CEO Tomson Li said that BlackBerry licensed its security software and service suite, as well as related brand assets, to TCL Communication, which will design, manufacture, sell and provide customer support for BlackBerry-branded mobile devices.

The BlackBerry KEYone is expected to reshape the mobile communication experience for business and government users. It turns the way the keyboard on a smartphone is normally used on its head by combining the touchscreen with a physical keyboard, providing users with a larger input space in comparison to what one gets with the standard 5.5" full touchscreen smartphone.

The Android-based phone runs on a reinforced operating system and has a security key with a proprietary design. Powered by a 3,505 mAh battery, the highest capacity among existing BlackBerry devices, the BlackBerry KEYone delivers a significantly longer standby time. In addition, the battery can reach a 50% charge within 36 minutes with the support of Qualcomm Quick Charge technology.

The Alcatel A5 LED, the high-definition Alcatel A3 and the affordable Alcatel U5 smartphones were also on display at the TCL Communication booth.

Li said this is TCL's 10th time at MWC. He is impressed by the rapid development of China's mobile communication sector. From mobile phones and devices to the number of users on the networks of China's mobile operators, Chinese manufacturers have moved to the front of the line and are increasingly becoming a leading force in the world's mobile communications industry, he said. Li further predicts that 5G is the future of mobile and has already undertaken a substantial amount of research and development in anticipation of 5G.

TCL Communication and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute jointly showcased the interoperability of software-defined radio user equipment (UE) and commercial TD-LTE small cell base stations at the show. Software-defined radio can be expected to play an increasingly important role in driving software-driven telecommunication systems. This offers developers the flexibility and reusability of upgrading applications and systems.

The MWC demonstration showed how the Open Air Interface (OAI) UE can receive a live downlink video stream from China-based telecommunication network optimisation products manufacturer Sunnada Communications' commercial TD-LTE small cell. OAI is open-source software that emulates LTE systems on general-purpose processor platforms.

According to research firm IDC and TCL's own data, the firm ranked No. 7 among both handset manufacturers and tablet manufacturers worldwide in Q416, with a portfolio of products sold in China and over 160 countries and regions in the world.

Interested?

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post on the Q416 mobile smartphone market in China according to IDC

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about the launch of the Alcatel A5 LED at MWC

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