Aussie cybersecurity vendor Family Zone signs deal to have technology preloaded in Alcatel devices

ASX-listed cybersecurity vendor Family Zone has landed a deal with Alcatel to have its technology preloaded onto Alcatel mobile devices.

The company’s Mobile Zone filtering technology will be embedded in the devices that will be sold in Australia and New Zealand, with a full range set to launch in mid-2018.

“In the past 18 months we’ve achieved a lot of success and a lot of ‘firsts’, our alliance with Alcatel is, however, one of our proudest. Family Zone’s vision is for our technology to be embedded on every device and network that our kids use,” Family Zone managing director Tim Levy said.

"We are in schools across the world and have agreements with telcos and access point manufacturers globally. Our agreement with Alcatel, however, completes the picture with a manufacturer of mobile devices joining the ecosystem. We are proud that we can now demonstrate the fullness of our vision.”

The Mobile Zone on-device technology will be preloaded onto Alcatel devices at the factory, providing parents with the option to sign up and install Mobile Zone without any requirement to download when setting up their child’s device.

Family Zone will also work with Alcatel to jointly promote the devices to telcos and address some challenges they often face with parental controls.

Alcatel is owned by China-based TCL Corporation, which sells budget mobile phones in Australia, which also includes the Blackberry brand.

Family Zone says Alcatel’s budget phones are often used as a child’s first mobile phone, which the company says will be an “exciting” partnership with Alcatel.

Last month, Family Zone brought in $3 million in annual recurring revenue through its strategy of converting Australian schools into reseller partners, which now numbers at least 140.