OTF Exclusive One Plus in talks with US Carriers

[Jithin91]

OnePlus could be inching closer to breaking into the mainstream. The Chinese company is open to partnering up with US carriers for sales of its handsets.

"If the right opportunity and right timing come along, we'll be very happy to experiment," he said in an interview at the Bellagio outside of CES on Wednesday. He declined to give any specific time frame for when a deal might be struck.

While OnePlus is well known among hardcore Android enthusiasts and the technologically savvy, the company has been flying under the radar in the US. A potential deal with a carrier would bring the company a higher-profile distribution partner and potentially supercharge its brand.

The issue of US carrier support was a hot theme at CES this year after China's Huawei failed to announce a widely anticipated deal with AT&T to carry its Mate10 Pro flagship phone. Instead, Huawei will sell it at retailers like Amazon and through its own site. That's a problem in the US, with analysts estimating that roughly 85 percent to 90 percent of consumers buy their phones through their carrier.

OnePlus is one company that has succeeded in its digital strategy, largely selling through its website. It only recently began partnering with carriers in Europe and is opening itself to the possibility of a US partner.

The next OnePlus phone is coming in late second quarter