Pantech Inc. ( ko, 주식회사 팬택) is a South Korean
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
that manufactures
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
s. Established in 1991, its market is mainly domestic with partners in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and finally
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. In 2012 Pantech was the second best-selling handset maker in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, according to
Gartner
Gartner, Inc is a technological research and consulting firm based in Stamford, Connecticut that conducts research on technology and shares this research both through private consulting as well as executive programs and conferences. Its clients ...
. In 2013
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of ...
bought a 10% stake in Pantech. Pantech also partners with
PCD for specialized phones.
For the U.S. market, the company primarily manufactures phones for the two largest wireless carriers,
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
and
Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in ...
. Pantech launched an eco-friendly 3G messaging phone for AT&T as well as a 4G LTE Android handset for Verizon Wireless in 2012. Both smartphones have touchscreens and QWERTY keyboards that slide out.
According to a report in July 2014 from
CNET
''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...
, Pantech is facing
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
risk with a
debt
Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...
of $475 million.
In October 2015,
BusinessKorea said that Korean
regulators
Regulator may refer to:
Technology
* Regulator (automatic control), a device that maintains a designated characteristic, as in:
** Battery regulator
** Pressure regulator
** Diving regulator
** Voltage regulator
* Regulator (sewer), a control de ...
have approved the acquisition by a domestic technology group led by
Optis and
Solid
Solid is one of the State of matter#Four fundamental states, four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and Plasma (physics), plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount o ...
. In 2014, Only imported in country and exported in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
.
Released in South Korea
Smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s manufactured by Pantech and released in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
3G Smartphone
*Pantech Curitel PH-S8000T
:Released in 2005, Pantech's Windows Mobile SmartPhone. Operating system is Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Smart phone OS.
* Pantech SKY Sirius (IM-A600)
*Pantch SKY izar (IM-A630)
*Pantech SKY VEGA(IM-A650)
*Pantech SKY Mirach (IM-A690)
*Pantech SKY VEGA Xpress (IM-A710/A720)
**Pantech SKY VEGA X+ (IM-A725)
**Pantech SKY VEGA S (IM-A730)
*Pantech SKY Mirach A (IM-A740)
*Pantech SKY Vega Racer (IM-A760/A770/A775/A780/)
*Pantech SKY VEGA N°5 (IM-T100)
LTE Smartphone
*Pantech SKY VEGA LTE (IM-A800)
**Pantech SKY VEGA LTE M (IM-A810)
**Pantech SKY VEGA LTE EX (IM-A820)
*Pantech SKY VEGA Racer 2 (IM-A830)
*Pantech SKY VEGA S5 (IM-A840)
*Pantech VEGA R3 (IM-A850)
*Pantech VEGA N°6 (IM-A860)
*Pantech VEGA Iron (IM-A870)
*Pantech VEGA LTE-A (IM-A880)
:Pantech launched Vega LTE-A in August 2013.
*Pantech VEGA Secret Note (IM-A890)
:Pantech Vega Secret Note was launched in South Korea in October 2013. The device records 200,000 units of sales in just 30 days after launched in South Korea.
*Pantech VEGA Secret Up (IM-A900)
:Pantech Vega Secret Up was launched in South Korea in December 2013. The device received the
Android 4.4.2 KitKat update in April 2014.
*Pantech Vega Iron 2 (IM-A910)
: Pantech Vega Iron 2 was launched in South Korea in May 2014. The device runs Android 4.4.2 Kitkat
*Pantech VEGA Popup Note (IM-A920)
*Pantech VEGA Secret Note 2 (IM-A930)
*Pantech IM-A940K
*Pantech SKY I'm Back (IM-100)
Pantech SKY I'm Back was launched in South Korea in June 2016. The device runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Pantech USA phones and wireless devices
Mobile phones and wireless devices manufactured by Pantech:
AT&T
*Pantech C630
:The model C630 is a slim candy-bar sized phone, featuring an MP3 player, a MicroSD card slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, GPS functionality, 3G HSDPA, and a 1.8 inch display with 176×220 resolution.
*Pantech Slate
:The Slate (marketed as _SLATE) is slim, like the C630, with a
QWERTY
QWERTY () is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. The name comes from the order of the first six Computer keyboard keys#Types, keys on the top left letter row of the keyboard ( ). The QWERTY design is based on a layout created f ...
keyboard, an MP3 player, a MicroSD card slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and a 2.2 inch display with 220×176 resolution, but without 3G or a GPS functionality.
*Pantech C610
:The C610 is a
clamshell phone, featuring an MP3 player, a MicroSD card slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, GPS functionality, 3G HSDPA, and a 1.8 inch display with 176×220 resolution.
*Pantech Matrix
:The Matrix is a double-slide phone. It has a full QWERTY keyboard and a traditional
T9 keyboard. When closed, the phone can be slid left to use the QWERTY keyboard, or up, to show the T9 keyboard. The phone has an MP3 player, a MicroSD card slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, GPS functionality, 3G HDSPA, and a 2.2 inch display with 240×320 resolution.
*Pantech Matrix Pro
:The Matrix PRO is similar to the Matrix model, yet more rounded in shape. The Matrix Pro features a 2.4 inch display, and 2-megapixel camera. It comes with
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones and personal digital assistants.
Its origin dated back to Windows CE in 1996, though Windows Mobile itself first appeared in 2000 as Pock ...
6.1 OS.
*Pantech Reveal
:The Pantech Reveal is a square shaped with rounded corners. It is about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide, with a 2-megapixel camera.
*Pantech Pursuit
:The Pursuit is Pantech's first touchscreen phone, featuring a full, four-row QWERTY keyboard, designed for quick messaging.
*Pantech Laser
:The Laser is a touchscreen messaging phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. Marketed as "the world's thinnest messaging phone", it measures less than a centimeter.
*Pantech Ease
:The Ease is a touch screen phone featuring a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 2.0-megapixel camera.
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
, mobile web, and mobile e-mail are built in.
*Pantech Link
:The Pantech Link is a quick messaging phone with a QWERTY keyboard. Facebook, mobile web, and messaging are built in. It features a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder.
*Pantech Breeze III
:The Breeze III is a
clamshell phone with a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder. It features mobile e-mail, Facebook, and instant messaging.
*Pantech Breeze IV
:Released in the United States in November 2013, "the fourth model in its feature phone line".
This model has been described as "a pared down
flip phone
The flip phone or clamshell is a form factor of a mobile phone or other device which is in two or more sections that fold via a hinge. If the hinge is on a long edge the device is more likely to be called clamshell than flip phone (e.g., No ...
" in the context of a
Motorola Moto E product review
A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indic ...
.
*Pantech Pursuit II
:The Pursuit II is a vertical slide QWERTY keyboard phone. It has a 2.0-megapixel camera and camcorder. It features
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, Facebook, mobile e-mail, instant messaging, and other social networking options.
*Pantech Crossover
:The Crossover is a vertical slide QWERTY keyboard phone.
*Pantech Renue
:The Renue is a feature phone that includes a 3.2 inch touchscreen display and a full, four-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard, as well as a 3-megapixel camera with camcorder.
*Pantech Element
:The Element is Pantech's first tablet. It is marketed to be water- and dust-resistant, and also contains an 8 inch touchscreen, dual 2 MP front/5 MP back cameras with 720p camcorder, and a dual-core 1.5 GHz
Qualcomm
Qualcomm () is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4 ...
Snapdragon S3 processor to power it.
*Pantech Pocket
*Pantech Burst
*Pantech Flex
*Pantech Discover
*Pantech Vybe
:A messaging phone, focused on supporting text messaging, designed for and marketed only in the United States market, released in May 2014.
Verizon
*Pantech Breakout
:The Breakout is a smartphone with
LTE capabilities. It runs
Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
*Pantech Razzle
:The Razzle has a bottom portion that swivels 180°. One side has stereo speakers and music controls (pause/play, fast forward, rewind); the other side contains a full QWERTY keyboard. It has a MicroSD slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and GPS functionality.
*Pantech Jest
:The Jest is square shaped with rounded corners. Its dimensions are approximately 3 inches long and 2 inch inches wide. The Jest has a slide down QWERTY keyboard and a 2-megapixel camera.
*Pantech UMW190
:The UMW190 is a global ready
mobile broadband
Mobile broadband is the marketing term for Wireless broadband, wireless Internet access via mobile networks. Access to the network can be made through a portable modem, wireless modem, or a Tablet computer, tablet/smartphone (possibly Tetherin ...
USB modem
A mobile broadband modem, also known as wireless modem or cellular modem, is a type of modem that allows a personal computer or a router to receive wireless Internet access via a mobile broadband connection instead of using telephone or cable tel ...
. It is capable of connecting to several networks:
EV-DO
Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO, EVDO, etc.) is a telecommunications standard for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, typically for broadband Internet access. EV-DO is an evolution of the CDMA2000 (IS-2000) standard which su ...
(Rev. 0 and Rev. A) and
GSM
The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such as ...
.
*Pantech Crux
:The Crux is an all-touch screen/slider phone with a unique feature: the user must slide the phone up to unlock and down to lock it. It does not have a physical QWERTY keyboard. The phone features a music player, a microSD card slot (ships with 1 GB card; pre-installed), and a 3.0-megapixel camera and camcorder.
*Pantech Marauder
:The Marauder is a 4G LTE Android smartphone that runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It features a 3.8 inch touchscreen display, a five-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and a VGA resolution front-facing camera (0.3 megapixels). It has an optional "starter mode" to simplify the user interface for first time Android users.
*Pantech Hotshot
:The Hotshot is a 3G device that uses
CDMA
Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communication ...
technology. The device has a 3.2 inch touchscreen display, offers
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
connectivity, and has a 3.2-megapixel camera, among other features.
Hotshot , , Pantech
. Pantechusa.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.
*Pantech Perception
See also
* Economy of South Korea
The economy of South Korea is a highly developed mixed economy. By nominal GDP, it has the 5th largest economy in Asia and the 13th largest in the world. South Korea is notable for its rapid economic development from an underdeveloped nati ...
* Communications in South Korea
In South Korea, telecommunications services improved dramatically in the 1980s with the assistance of foreign partners and as a result of the development of the electronics industry. The number of telephones in use in 1987 reached 9.2 million, a c ...
* Pantech Wireless
Pantech Wireless, Inc. (PWI), formed in 2002, is the North American subsidiary of Pantech, one of Korea’s three largest mobile phone manufacturers.
Background
PWI has created wireless products for major North American carriers including AT&T, V ...
References
External links
Pantech Homepage
Korean Pantech Homepage
{{Electronics industry in South Korea
Mobile phone manufacturers
Electronics companies of South Korea
Manufacturing companies established in 1991
South Korean brands
Manufacturing companies based in Seoul
1991 establishments in South Korea