HTC boosts distribution deal with Brightpoint

Taiwanese smartphone vendor HTC Corp. and Brightpoint, Inc., the distribution powerhouse, signed a global distribution agreement that may help the smartphone maker realize its ambitions of establishing a globally recognized brand. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
HTC Americas, the United States subsidiary of HTC Corp., received a big boost last week at CTIA I.T. & Entertainment 2007 when Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer repeatedly mentioned the company in his opening-day keynote address. Ballmer touted HTC’s new Touch device, launching at Sprint Nextel Corp. next week, before thousands of conference attendees as he described his company’s new mobile device management system for enterprise.
HTC Americas is launching new devices, each with its own form factor, at each of the U.S.’s top-tier carriers this fall. The Touch, at Sprint Nextel, is the first device in the U.S. market to carry the vendor’s logo.
The parent company’s new distribution deal with Brightpoint will expand HTC’s reach around the world, according to Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. According to Bob Laikin, chairman and CEO at Brightpoint, the distributor was “a pioneer” in developing HTC’s global sales channels and marketing and the new agreement will provide “strategic value” to HTC’s expanding product line.