Colombia & Venezuela get Telefonica Firefox OS phones today

Today marks the first day of sales in Latin America for two Telefonica-powered phones running Firefox OS.

Firefox OS is Mozilla’s web-based operating system. Much like Chrome OS, it favors a web app ecosystem rather than downloaded apps from a single marketplace.

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So far, the OS has been the subject of heated curiosity among the early adopter crowd, with the first generally available devices selling out within hours.

Even mega-manufacturer Foxconn is signed up to churn out Firefox OS phones, many of which will find their way to underserved markets where smartphone penetration is lagging, median income is low, and data service is shaky.

Sales for the ZTE Open and Alcatel One Touch Fire will begin in Columbia and Venezuela effective immediately. In Columbia, the phones will cost around $100 unsubsidized and around $50 with a one-year contract. In Venezuela, the One Touch Fire is $276 and the Open is $184.

The Open first started selling in Spain at a $90 price point.

Telefonica director of open web devices Yotam Ben-Ami said in a statement on the news, “There is strong momentum building behind Firefox OS as we bring more devices to more of our markets.

“But this is just the beginning as the platform, content ecosystem, and range of devices continues to expand. There is an inherent imbalance in the smartphone market at the moment and we believe that Firefox OS represents the best opportunity to restore balance and provide a more open smartphone experience to customers.”