HTC to Monopolize Android-based Phone Market for One Year

Taipei, Oct. 7, 2008 (CENS)--With its rivals, including Samsung and LG, already confirming that they won't debut any Android-based phone until the next third quarter, Taiwan-based High Tech Computer Corp (HTC), who has officially launched its Android-based phone, will likely keep dominating the sector for at least one year, according to institutional investors.

Since debuting G1, world's first smartphone based on Android platform, jointly with Google.Com and T-Mobile last month, HTC has become the foremost supplier of this kind. In addition to T-Mobile, a number of telecom companies, including China Mobile and Sprint Nextel, have shown intense interest in the newest Google phone developed by HTC, and will very likely start promotion of the product at the end of the first quarter of next year.

Based on its fourth-quarter shipment of 600,000 units of G1 to T-Mobile with a unit price of US$450 each, HTC will likely generate NT$8.6 billion more in sales in the quarter. Besides, HTC is going to further contract local telecom companies in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Holland to promote its G1, and plan to provide several customized models to hold its lead next year. Such monopolization is expected to further fuel HTC's sales in the following year.

Last November Google and more than 30 industry insiders jointly formed OHA (Open Handset Alliance) to promote Google's handset operating system Android.

Noteworthy is that other industry insiders are not as active as HTC to develop Android-based phones; while, among Taiwanese major suppliers as Asustek Computer Inc., Inventec Corp., BenQ Corp., Gigabyte Communications Inc., Qisda Corp., Compal Communications Inc. and Arima Communications Corp., only Asustek and Inventec show comparatively strong interest in such phones and are now