ZTE intros Grand X, single-chip LTE phone

SINGAPORE CITY, SINGAPORE: ZTE Corporation announced the launch of single-chip LTE smartphone, Grand X LTE (T82), at CommunicAsia2012.

The Grand X LTE (T82) will be available in Asia Pacific and Europe in third quarter 2012. The phone uses MSM8960 chip from Qualcomm, which is based on 0.28nm technology.

The Grand X LTE (T82) is WiFi capable and uses Android 4.0. It has a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU, an eight mega-pixel main camera that supports 1080p HD video shooting and playback and a front camera that supports 720p HD video calls.

The phone has a maximum download rate of 100M, and a 1900mAh large-capacity battery. The Grand X LTE (T82) also has buttonless design resembling a mini tablet PC.

“We are the first company to use the single-chip solution in a handset,” said He Shiyou, executive vice president, and head, Terminal Handset Division, ZTE. “The Grand series products are our high-end flagship offerings this year. ZTE aims to enhance its profile in the high-end market with the Grand series of smart terminals.”

In addition to the Grand X LTE (T82), ZTE is also displaying other LTE products including the V96A LTE tablet; TD-LTE/EDGE multi-band UFi product, MF91; and MF821 LTE wireless network card.

The V96A will be available in Europe and Asia Pacific in third quarter 2012.

“The telecommunications sector is changing rapidly,” said He. “LTE is growing very fast in Asia and ZTE emphasizes technological development in this area. We believe 4G communications provides a tremendous opportunity for the telecommunications industry in Asia.”

LTE BeamHop AAS Solution

ZTE also launched LTE BeamHop Solution and demonstrated LTE A8808 Active Antenna System (AAS) product based on this technology, at Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai, China.

Based on the LTE BeamHop Solution, the A8808 product consists of both active and passive antennae.

The passive part replaces operators’ existing 2G and 3G antennae, while the active part is used for the newly added LTE network. Since the LTE radio unit is integrated into the existing antenna, the new LTE network can be deployed without purchasing any additional antenna site space, reducing installation costs and maximizing existing resources, says a release.

"The new ZTE LTE BeamHop AAS solution enables ‘one deployment, two networks and flexible coverage,” said ZTE, vice president, Wang Shouchen. “This solution increases the transmission power of the base station and the sensitivity of the receivers, which significantly boosts network capacity and coverage. This BeamHop solution will help operators smoothly transition from 2G and 3G to LTE, without adding new antenna space. In turn, that will greatly reduce construction costs and accelerate commercial progress.”