Ahead of the 2010 World Football Cup in South Africa later this year, Telegent and Brightstar Inc. have joined forces to develop a new and innovative, low-cost handset that will deliver live, free-to-air broadcast TV to Latin American and African consumers.

The Avvio 505 has a built-in analogue mobile TV receiver which will allow a more affordable way for consumers in poorer nations to watch the World Cup.

Jaime Narea, vice-president of Brightstar’s Idea to Consumer Division, said: “With the Avvio 505, we are delivering a model designed to appeal to sports fans in the Latin American and African markets.”

Continuing he said,”In these markets, consumers have a passion for football, and all eyes will be on the events unfolding real time this summer in South Africa. The combination of voice and TV in a low-cost handset is very compelling for consumers who want to follow the matches live, whether they are at work, home, or on the road.”

Interestingly, the handset has also been designed with the football fan in mind as it has customised colours and flags of the various countries participating.

Features of the phone include: voice, SMS, TV and FM radio, plus a 2.0 inch screen. It also has 240 minutes of continuous talk time.

Ease of use is also a neat feature with the one-button access to live TV and radio broadcasting.

The handset will only be available in South Africa and Latin America.