The South Sydney Rabbitohs and Alcatel have a had a long and fruitful partnership over a number of years.
Next year the relationship will be going to the next level, with Alcatel becoming the Club's major sponsor of the Official 2019 away jersey.
Incorporated in Hong Kong, Alcatel a registered trademark of Nokia under licensee TCL Communication and is the third highest ranked mobile phone brand in Australia for the last three years.
Their parent company TCL is one of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers, with over $25 Billion USD annual turnover.
Alcatel branded devices from TCL Communication deliver innovative, feature-rich experiences that offer the technologies consumers want in their smartphones.
Last year, TCL made 700-800 million USD profit, and are currently second in TV sales in the United States.
Over our eight-year relationship, Alcatel has featured heavily on the Club's merchandise.
In 2009, Alcatel launched on the Australian market and quickly joined forces with the mighty South Sydney.
After developing a good rapport, Alcatel became the shorts partner of the Rabbitohs in 2012.
A year later, they expanded on their original deal by becoming the shorts partner on both the Rabbitohs on-field and training shorts, as well as, the Exclusive Phone Handset partner.
Following the success of the 2014 season, which saw the Rabbitohs claim the NRL Premiership, Alcatel upgraded to the Official Training Apparel Partner for the 2015 season.
In 2016 Alcatel became the third-ranked smartphone brand in Australia.
Once again they took the opportunity to upgrade at the Club, appearing on the front of the Rabbitohs home jersey in New Zealand against the New Zealand Warriors.
The mobile technologies brand continued to show interest in featuring on the South Sydney jersey, becoming the major sponsor for the Rabbitohs Superman jersey in 2017.
2018 would then see Alcatel make another dominant step in their history, by launching their latest products to market, which would then see them become the Official Smartphone and television partner and Major front of the away jersey of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Alcatel pride themselves on delivering the latest in mobile technology into devices that won't break the bank.
Sam Skontos, VP and Regional Managing Director, South East Asia & Pacific, for Alcatel, says that the relationship between the Rabbitohs and Alcatel is one that fits in perfectly, something that is evident on the away jersey itself.
"Our brand fits the Rugby League market perfectly, and our journey as an organisation
mirrors in many ways that of Souths over the better part of the last decade," said Mr Skontos.
"We have grown into a powerhouse brand in the mobile phone and tablet market with a focus
on technology accessible to all, and we couldn't be prouder to have grown the
relationship continuously over the last eight seasons."
The partnership Alcatel and the South Sydney Rabbitohs share is highly valued, with both having big ambitions in promoting brand awareness and securing their place in the market for further growth.
Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly believes both brands share similar traits that continue to strengthen one another, which makes the partnership all the more special.
"Alcatel have been a highly valued partner of the Rabbitohs for eight years now, and their commitment to our Club is nothing short of outstanding," Mr Solly said.
"To see them increase their involvement through the away jersey partnership is a real boon for our Club, as we share so many of the same values and visions for our businesses."
"We're really excited to be working closely with Sam Skontos and the team at Alcatel, and I'm sure our Members and supporters will see some great benefits come their way through this partnership."
