Ericsson
A1228c

The A1228c was Ericsson’s first CDMA phone. It was a WAP-enabled device offering rudimentary Internet access. The company described it as delivering “superior voice quality and fast and easy access to the mobile Internet, e- mail and a host of information and communication services.” The phone had what Ericsson referred to as an “oversized full-graphic display” at 101 x 40 pixels. It used the company’s icon-based EZ-Read use interface and was able to store 200 names and numbers. It featured 26 different ringtones. The phone's design was used for similar phones offering TDMA and GSM network support. These included the A1228d, R280s and R280LX.  At the time the A1228c was launched, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology was one of the fastest growing wireless technologies and had more than 50 million subscribers worldwide. It was particularly successful in the US market. Ericsson was already selling CDMA infrastructure so was keen to have a CDMA capable mobile phone available. Underlining this, Håkan Wretsell, who was executive vice president and general manager of Ericsson Mobile Phones, Region Americas declared: "Ericsson is entering the CDMA marketplace with a bang". He went on to note that the A1228c gave the company “a strong position for growing its business throughout the Americas." The codename for this phone was Carmencita Linda ("Little Carmen").