Company type | Public |
---|---|
Founded | March 29, 1991 |
Headquarters | , |
Area served | United States, Japan, China, Europe, Vietnam |
Key people | Chung Joon, (CEO) |
Products | Smartphone, Tablet |
Revenue | $2.8 billion USD (2011) |
Number of employees | 12,300 (2011) |
Parent | Solid Inc. (96%) Optis Inc. (4%) |
Website | www |
Pantech Inc. (Korean: 주식회사 팬택) 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 handset maker in South Korea, according to Gartner. In 2013 Samsung Electronics bought a 10% stake in Pantech.[1] 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 and Verizon. 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.[2]
According to a report in July 2014 from CNET, Pantech is facing bankruptcy risk with a debt of $475 million.[3] In October 2015, BusinessKorea said that Korean regulators have approved the acquisition by a domestic technology group led by Optis and Solid.[4]