Florida, USA - The HTC Dream phone, known as the Google phone, has been confirmed for launch in South Africa through an exclusive partnership with local HTC distributor Leaf International Communications and MTN South Africa. The phone will launch locally this month.

The HTC Dream is the first-ever commercially available handset to run the open-source Android operating system which was originally developed by Google before being handed over to the Open Handset Alliance.

"MTN is proud to be the first operator in South Africa to offer its customers a revolutionary smartphone that will change the way we use mobile technology,: said Donovan Smith, GM of consumer segments for MTN SA.

The HTC Dream features a 3.2 inch touch-screen and a Qwerty keyboard that comes with a set of six navigation buttons.

It includes a GPS receiver and a microSD card slot that supports storage capacities of up to 16 gigabytes (GB). The device comes standard with a 1GB microSD card. Google applications are integrated with the operating system allowing access to Google Maps, news, Gmail and other services from the device which can connect using WiFi or mobile cellular connectivity including 3G.

"By giving our customers instant access to Google services, we are ensuring that MTN sets the pace with innovative and convenient product offerings in both the local and African telecoms market," says Smith.

MTN is offering the G1 to customers on the MTN AnyTime 350 package for R529 per month, which includes R350 worth of airtime and 100MB worth of data per month.