Motorola’s low-cost C139 hits Cingular’s GoPhone

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill.—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. plans to sell Motorola Inc.’s new low-cost handset to its GoPhone prepaid customers for $40. The move reflects the handset vendor’s strategy for grabbing a slice of the fast-growing prepaid market in the United States, where prepaid service offers an opportunity to reach a portion of the 30 percent of the population that hasn’t signed-up for wireless service.

The purchase of a Motorola C139, touted as “curvaceous”—an adjective typically reserved for Hollywood actresses—as well as “practical and stylish,” comes with a $10 airtime card. The handset has a color screen, predictive text entry and calendar functions.

The phone is part of Motorola’s ultra-low-cost handset lineup, which the company is selling in emerging markets like India and elsewhere.

The C139 is available at Cingular’s retail stores and through its retail partners, including Wal-Mart and RadioShack.

Motorola’s C139 goes up against Nokia Corp.’s 6010, which Cingular is also selling through its GoPhone offering for $40.