A leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, ZTE is looking to have the OS installed on low-end smart phones in Brazil and is now coordinating with Mozilla Firefox to release a handset running Firefox OS in the first quarter of next year. The OS itself is based on HTML5, which has become the new coding standard for websites and applications.
Reuters report that ZTE is looking forward to extend product portfolio in order to shift reliance away from Android and Windows Phone. Reports from ZTE spokesperson, David Dai Shu says, the company is working with “a regional telecom carrier outside of China.” It is still not clear who ZTE is referring to, but Mozilla Firefox has already declared partnerships with carriers such as Sprint, Telefonica, and Deutsche Telekom.
The price of licensing Windows phone was revealed back in January, with ZTE paying Microsoft between $20 and $30 for each Windows Phone handset it produces and may also be paying a patent license fee to Microsoft for Android. So the inclusion of Firefox OS could be an attempt by the Chinese company to reduce its licensing costs while maximizing well noted small margins on devices. Mozilla says “Due to the optimization of the platform for entry level smartphones and the removal of unnecessary middleware layers, mobile operators will have the ability to offer richer experiences at a range of price points low-end of the smartphone price range, helping to drive adoption across developing markets.”