TCL's handsets, for instance, run on chipsets and software from Wavecom, a French company that makes communication modules for wireless gadgets.

ECONOMIST: Cellular handsets: The local touch | The

With the technological playing-field thus levelled, says Aram Hekimian, Wavecom's chief executive, the Chinese brands should be able to capture 80% or more of the market some time in the next few years.

ECONOMIST: Cellular handsets: The local touch | The