China TechFaith (CNTF) has signed an agreement with QuickTel to develop and manufacture low-cost mobile handsets in Egypt.

QuickTel is a leading telecommunications fixed and mobile network solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa. The low-cost mobile handset market is growing in the region at a fast rate. Expanding on QuickTel's existing manufacturing facilities, the collaboration will allow QuickTel and TechFaith to produce low-cost mobile handsets that are affordable, and equipped with features customized for users in the region. The handsets will be manufactured based on technology from Qualcomm.

"Aligning QuickTel with the industry's mobile and chipset leaders like TechFaith and Qualcomm allows us to produce high-quality solutions at competitive prices," said Ayman Hijjawi, QuickTel's chairman and CEO. "By diversifying our product offerings to include mobile solutions, we are solidifying our market position in the highly competitive mobile market, which provides compelling value to our customers."

QuickTel's presence in the Middle East and Africa offers network operators quicker product delivery with local sales, service and technical support centers. QuickTel's network and mobile fine-tuning capability allows fast deployment of test teams to its clients in the region.