Pantech Wireless, Inc. (PWI), formed in 2002, is the

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

subsidiary of

Pantech Pantech Inc. () is a South Korean company that manufactures mobile phones. Established in 1991, its market is mainly domestic with partners in the United States, Japan, China, Europe and Vietnam. In 2012 Pantech was the second best-selling handse ...

, one of Korea’s three largest

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

manufacturers.

Background

PWI has created

wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information (''telecommunication'') between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided transm ...

products for major North American carriers including

AT&T AT&T Inc., an abbreviation for its predecessor's former name, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the w ...

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...

Sprint Nextel Sprint Corporation was an American telecommunications company. Before being Merger of Sprint Corporation and T-Mobile US, acquired by T-Mobile US on April 1, 2020, it was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States, serving 5 ...

and

Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emi ...

. Benchmark handsets created by PWI for the North American market include the popular line of dual-sliding, double-keyboard devices such as the Pantech duo, Matrix, and Pantech Matrix Pro smartphone. PWI also manufactures Slate, “world’s thinnest phone with a QWERTY keyboard,” and C3b, “the world’s smallest camera flip-phone.” Additionally, PWI created the Breeze, a handset that utilizes the principles of

Universal Design Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors. It emerged as a rights-based, anti-discrimination measure, which seeks to create design ...

, which are a set of guidelines that ensure consumer electronics products are of optimal ease of use for customers of all ages, and those with disabilities.

Products North America

Pantech Company Timeline

* 1991: Established Pantech Co., Ltd * 2002: Established Pantech Wireless, Inc. (PWI) in North America * 2003: Formed a J/V – Dalian Daxian Pantech Communications Co, Ltd in Dalian, China * 2003: Company begins developing Pantech branded products * 2004: Pantech debuts first

GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and Mobile broadband modem, mobile broadba ...

handset with

fingerprint recognition A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...

* 2005: Acquired SK Teletech owning SKY brand, the most upscale premium brand in Korea * 2005: First entered Japan market among Korean handset makers delivering 1st model to KDDI * 2006: First PWI branded device, PN-218, offered through Alltell * 2006: PWI launches C300, “world’s smallest camera flip phone,” with AT&T * 2006: PWI manufacturers Ocean, first dual-sliding, double keyboard handset, created for Helio * 2008: Slate, “world’s thinnest phone with a QWERTY keyboard,” created for AT&T * 2009: Launched Breeze, an easy-to-use and “top performing” handset for AT&T * 2009: Launched ‘Matrix Pro’, a dual sliding smart phone for AT&T * 2010: Launched Impact, Pantech's first haptic, dual key-board 3G Quick Messaging phone for AT&T * 2010: Launched Reveal, a slider with simultaneous numeric and QWERTY keypad 3G Quick Messaging phone for AT&T * 2010: Link, Pantech's ultra-slim and sleek messaging phone launches at AT&T * 2010: Launched Breeze II, the successor to the Breeze, easy-to-use handset for AT&T * 2010: Pursuit launches for AT&T as Pantech's first phone with touchscreen * 2010: Launched Pantech Ease, the first simplicity-centric phone for AT&T with keyboard and touchscreen * 2010: Laser, AT&T's thinnest phone with sliding keyboard, is launched * 2011: Crossover, Pantech's first Android smartphone in the U.S., is launched * 2011: 20th Anniversary of Pantech Wireless, Inc., U.S.-based subsidiary of Pantech Group * 2011: Pantech announces exclusive handset sponsorship of Dew Tour * 2011: Pantech announces sponsorship of Dew Tour Pro Athletes, Bucky Lasek, Brett Banasiewicz, Greg Lutzka, Ryan Devenzo * 2011: Inaugural Pantech Open in Ocean City, MD for Dew Tour Action Sports Competition

Awards

* 1995: Pantech creates the world’s first

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 communicatio ...

product * 2005: Pantech honored with the Best Mobile Phone Application distinction at the Asian Mobile News Award * 2005, 2006, 2007: Pantech receives seven iF Design awards and four red dot Design awards for excellence and innovation in mobile phone design * 2007: Pantech’s IM-U200 (Korean market) awarded ‘Best of Innovation’ at CES International

References

External links

* {{webarchive , date=2013-01-23 , url=https://archive.today/20130123091557/http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/12/pantech-wireless-korea-tech-wire-cx_ew_1212pantech.html , title=Korea's Pantech Rings Up U.S. Sales – Forbes
Pantech Slate C530 (AT&T) – PC Magazine

Pantech Matrix – TestFreaks

Mobile phone manufacturers