Pantech Co., South Korea's No. 3 handset maker, said Wednesday that it launched a waterproof mobile phone in Japan to lure middle-aged and elderly consumers.
The Pantech-au PT001 features a minimal design that emphasizes keys and dials as the phone targets consumers who use cell phones mainly as a voice communication tool, the South Korean company said. The model was launched via Japan's second-biggest mobile carrier KDDI Corp.
The phone is designed to be safe in the rain and can stay submerged for as long as 30 minutes in one-meter deep water, the company said.
Pantech, which trails tech titans Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. in South Korea's mobile phone market, sold more than 3 million phones in Japan since its
market entry there in 2005.
The company plans to release an Android-running smartphone in Japan, it added.