Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision, formed an alliance with Mozilla earlier to manufacturer Firefox powered handsets for the company. This move was seen as a step to reduce revenue dependence on California-based tech giant Apple. Now according to the latest update, Foxconn has joined hands with a local telecom operator, Taiwan Mobile, to manufacture inexpensive smartphones under the name of the carrier. These inexpensive smartphones will be called A5 and with their launch Taiwan Mobile will be able boost its presence in the mobile phone market of the country.
Although both Taiwan Mobile and Foxconn have not revealed any details regarding the A5, China Times has reported that the low-priced smartphone will sport a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4.3-inch display, 5-megapixel rear camera and will be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Focus Taiwan on the other hand has reported that the low cost smartphones will hit the stores by mid of July and the retail price of a contract free A5 will be NT$3,990 that is almost equal to $133.
However, Foxconn is not the only smartphone maker that Taiwan Mobile has nabbed to produce handsets for the carrier, as it has also formed partnership with a famous Chinese mobile phone maker ZTE Corp. Under this partnership ZTE will produce three different mobile phones under the brand of Taiwan Mobile and their screen sizes will range from 3.5 to 4 and 5-inches.
On the other hand, this will be the first time that Foxconn is manufacturing smartphones for a local mobile phone operator, which will carry Taiwan Mobile’s own name. As a result of this new partnership the Taiwan-based Foxconn will be able to diversify its business portfolio. Prior to this Foxconn was just manufacturing Apple products for several years, but when the revenue of the company slid because of the low demand for the Cupertino-based company’s products the executives of the firm decided to extend their operations.
Several reports have indicated that another reason behind extending the business portfolio was that Apple was also looking to shift its supply chain to Foxconn’s rival firm Pegatron in order to create a balance. So if these reports turned out to be true then, Foxconn would have suffered a big hit on its revenue. Therefore, the Taiwanese company decided to swiftly change gears and develop new partnerships. Reports also suggest that Foxconn is also looking to produce electronic devices under its own brand.
Source: TNW
Photo: WantChinaTimes