Qualcomm, Bharti Airtel, Huawei team up for LTE TDD smartphone

BANGALORE, INDIA: Qualcomm, Bharti Airtel and Huawei have launched the first multi mode LTE TDD smartphone which is powered by QTI's Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. Huawei Ascend P1 LTE smartphone handles high speed data on the LTE network and voice calls on the underlying 3G network using Circuit Switched Voice Fall Back (CSFB voice) technology.

"Over the last 15 years, Airtel has been at the forefront of India's telecom revolution and played an instrumental role in aligning the country's technology trends with latest standards from across the globe. We took the lead in introducing India's first 4G service in Kolkata and continue to commit towards driving the country's broadband agenda," said Sanjay Kapoor, CEO - India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel.

Kapoor further added, "We are excited to announce the launch of India's first 4G LTE TDD multi-mode mobile device along with Qualcomm and Huawei, and are delighted to take the lead in setting technology standards for 4G devices in India. We are confident that others will follow suit and participate in the effort towards establishing the 4G devices ecosystem in India."

"We are excited to collaborate with Bharti Airtel and Huawei to announce the first multi-mode LTE-TDD smartphone in India. With this significant milestone, consumers in India will have the choice of enjoying high-speed mobile broadband experience using an LTE smartphone. Qualcomm Technologies continues to work with its partners to bring world-class technologies to India," said Dr. Avneesh Agrawal, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia.

"LTE is the future of mobile communications, and faster data access experience will become a key area of differentiation for consumers when choosing their mobile devices," said Mr. Cai Liqun, CEO of Huawei India.

"Huawei is committed to LTE innovation throughout the entire communications value chain from the device to the network to the cloud. The availability of the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE is just one more way in which we are putting great technology into the hands of more people globally and now in India."

Earlier this year, Bharti Airtel became the first telecom services provider in India to deploy LTE-TDD networks and launch 4G services in Kolkata and Bengaluru.

Powered by QTI's Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1.5 GHz dual core CPUs and built-in Adreno 225 GPU, and running an Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE's ultra-low latency guarantees smooth video calls and faster online gaming.

The 1GB RAM ensures smooth browsing and the 4GB ROM offers capacity for limitless applications from the Google Play Store. The second-generation 10.9-cm (4.3-inch) Super AMOLED qHD display with scratchproof Corning Gorilla Glass 2 provides enhanced stability and durability. The Huawei Ascend P1 LTE also provides an array of multimedia features to delight photo and video savvy users with its 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash.