HTC mulls affordable 4G LTE phones for end of 2014
The HTC One and HTC Butterfly S 4G LTE smartphones. (Photo/China Times)
Taiwan's HTC plans to lower the prices of its smartphones supporting 4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks by the end of this year to capitalize on consumer demand for affordable phones, a company executive said Tuesday.
Jack Tong, HTC's head of operations in China and North Asia, said 2014 is the first year of 4G operations in Taiwan, and most handset makers, including HTC, are expected to tap into the market by introducing high-end 4G phones in the first half of the year.
"If consumers come to realize the convenience of 4G services and telecom operators can effectively promote 4G services, we are likely to launch 4G phones in an affordable price range by year's end," he said in Taipei while announcing the 4G LTE version of the HTC One and Butterfly S flagship phones.
Tong did not specify a price range for the affordable 4G models but said he expected the average price of 4G phones to decline faster than that of 3G models.
Asked about the possibility of using MediaTek chips in HTC products, Tong said HTC will evaluate various kinds of technologies in its bid to attain a leadership position in the 4G market.
The Taoyuan-based company is set to release a new low-cost 3G phone with highly standardized specifications in the first quarter in a move to take advantage of Taiwanese operators' strong push to get subscribers to shift from 2G to 3G networks, the executive said.
He noted that more than half of HTC's smartphones to be sold in Taiwan this year will support the 4G LTE network and that the company will also release models running on the 700 MHz frequency band for the local market.
In the fourth quarter of 2013, HTC sustained NT$1.56 billion (US$52 million) in operating losses. It was the company's second consecutive quarterly operating loss after being in the black every quarter since it went public in 2002.
Its earnings per share were NT$0.38 (US$0.013) in the fourth quarter of last year, not enough to prevent its first ever annual loss of NT$1.60 (US$0.053) per share in 2013.
HTC shares fell 1.87% to close at NT$131 (US$4.35) on Tuesday in Taipei trading. The company's shares lost 53% of their value in 2013.
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