Alcatel
TypeTrademark
Founded1988 (1988) (as Alcatel)
2007 (2007) (as Alcatel Mobile Phones)
2010 (2010) (as Alcatel OneTouch)
2016 (2016) (as Alcatel Mobile)
HeadquartersNanterre, France
Shenzhen, China
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
George Guo (CEO)
ProductsTelecommunications devices
OwnerNokia
TCL Technology (licensed)
ParentNokia
Websitealcatelmobile.com

Alcatel (formerly Alcatel Mobile Phones and Alcatel OneTouch) (previously ALCATEL) is a French brand of mobile handsets owned by Finnish consumer electronics company Nokia and used under license[1] by Chinese electronics company TCL Technology. The Alcatel brand was licensed in 2005 by former French electronics and telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent to TCL for mobile phones and devices, and the current license expires at the end of 2024. Nokia acquired the assets of Alcatel-Lucent in 2016 and thus also inherited the licensing agreements for the Alcatel brand.[2]

History

Former Alcatel One Touch logo

Alcatel Mobile Phones was established on 24 April 2004[3] as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent (45%) and TCL Corporation (55%).[4] Alcatel originally started making mobile phones in late 1996.

In 2005, the joint venture was dissolved and TCL acquired Alcatel-Lucent's 45 percent share, and Alcatel Mobile Phones became a wholly owned subsidiary group of TCL. The brand name was licensed to TCL.[5]

In 2010, Alcatel One Touch became the corporate brand. In February 2016, it was changed back to simply Alcatel and a new logo was introduced.[6]

Company structure

TCL Mobile Limited (former name: T&A Mobile Phones Limited) is a member of TCL Communication listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE: 2618) which was established in August 2004 by TCL Communication and Alcatel.[7] TCL Mobile Limited manages three business units: Alcatel, TCL Mobile Phones and Brand Design Lab. TCL Communication was also the developer of BlackBerry devices from 2016 to 2020 when its contract with BlackBerry expired.[8][9][10]

Awards

In 2012, Alcatel won an International Forum Design iF design award for its One Touch 818 and the Onetouch 355 Play models.[11]

Models

One of the first Alcatel phone was Alcatel OT Easy HF, released in 1998.[12] Its battery standby time was up to 140 hours.

2014: Alcatel OneTouch Pop 7 was released.[13]

2015: Alcatel OneTouch Pop Fit was released. The Pop Fit could be strapped to a wrist.[14]

2016: Saw several releases: Alcatel Idol 4s,[15] Pop 4, Pop 4+, Pop 4s, and Pop 7 LTE.

2017: During that year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, TCL launched Alcatel A5 LED, purportedly the first Android smartphone with an "interactive LED-covered phone".[16] On 10 November, the company launched the Alcatel A5 LED and Alcatel A7 in India.[17]

2018: As demand grows for tablets that are compatible with keyboards and family use, TCL Communication is providing a tablet that can pull double duty with Alcatel 3T 8".[18]

2019: TCL Communication is introducing its latest Alcatel mobile devices, including the Alcatel 3, Alcatel 3L and Alcatel 1S smartphones, as well as the Alcatel 3T 10 at Mobile World Congress 2019.[19]

2020: TCL Communication Showcases Alcatel Mobile Product Portfolio With Fresh Design and Imaging Performance Milestones at CES 2020[20]

2021: At MWC 2021 TCL is teasing an affordable 5G phone with its own brand, but the Alcatel brand is still around. The company introduced two entry-level Android Go 11 models 1L Pro and Alcatel 1 (2021) released at the end of year.[21][22]

Early devices

2005–present

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". alcatel-mobile.com. TCL Communication. Retrieved 29 August 2021. TCL Communication designs, develops and markets a diversified range of mobile devices in more than 170 countries under the Alcatel brand [..] Alcatel is a trademark of Alcatel-Lucent used under license by TCL Communication.
  2. ↑ "#Nokia owns the #Alcatel brand. #TCL license expires in 2024". Nokiamob. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. ↑ "Alcatel place ses mobiles sous pavillon chinois". lsa-conso.fr. 29 April 2004.
  4. ↑ "Alcatel and TCL joint venture". gsmarena.com. 28 April 2004.
  5. ↑ "The Disillusion of TCL and Alcatel". Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Alcatel drops the 'OneTouch' in major rebranding". Android Central. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "TCL Company Profile". tclcom.com.
  8. ↑ "BlackBerry Gives China's TCL Rights to Use Its Brand on Phones". Bloomberg.com. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Mobile, BlackBerry (3 February 2020). "pic.twitter.com/jhcfVHjVqL". @BBMobile. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  10. ↑ "TCL won't make BlackBerry phones anymore, sending the brand back into limbo". www.digitaltrends.com. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  11. ↑ "About Alcatel". guzzle.co.za. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Alcatel OT Easy HF". phonesreview.com. 3 February 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  13. ↑ D., Luis (15 April 2014). "Alcatel OneTouch Pop 7 Review". phonearena.com. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  14. ↑ Chacksfield, Marc (25 February 2014). "Pop goes the Alcatel with new tablet and phone offerings". TechRadar. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "Alcatel Idol 4s". gsmarena.com. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  16. ↑ Curtis, Sophie (1 March 2017). "Alcatel wants to light up your life with A5 LED 'disco' phone launched at MWC 2017". The Mirror. United Kingdom. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  17. ↑ "Alcatel A5 LED and A7 launched in India starting at Rs. 12999". www.fonearena.com. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "TCL Communication Introduces Alcatel 3T 8 Tablet". alcatelmobile.com. 30 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "TCL Communication unveils its latest Alcatel 3 and 1 Series mobile devices". alcatelmobile.com. 24 February 2019.
  20. ↑ "TCL Communication Showcases Alcatel Mobile Product Portfolio With Fresh Design and Imaging Performance Milestones at CES 2020". alcatelmobile.com. 6 January 2020.
  21. ↑ "TCL unveils Alcatel 1 (2021) and 1L Pro Android Go edition phones, a new kids watch". gsmarena.com. 25 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Alcatel 1(2021)". gsmarena.com. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
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