Telecommunications technology and solutions provider Huawei on Wednesday introduced an entry-level smartphone, the IDEOS U8150, in South Africa.

The smartphone, which is powered by the Android operating system, was developed by Huawei and Google and would be available in South Africa from early 2011.

It would also be made available in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola and Zambia.

The device allows for download speeds of 7,2 Mb/s and offers Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (the radio access scheme used for third-generation mobile systems) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) technology dual network support.

The device could also be used as a WiFi router for up to six devices at one time.

Huawei noted that, with numerous applications available in the Android market, the IDEOS U8150 provided a wide range of communication, entertainment, office, and financial management applications.

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