ZTE will release a smartphone running on Mozilla's Firefox OS at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month, joining phones from Mozilla, Telefonica and Geeksphone.

No product details are available now, so will have to wait until February 25.

Mozilla hopes that the Firefox OS for smartphones will be ready to compete with Android and Apple's iOS in the next 12 months. RIM's BlackBerry 10, Canonical's Ubuntu for phones, Sailfish from upstart Jolla and the Samsung-Intel-backed Tizen will also contribute to a more competitive smartphone market.

Firefox OS is based on the principle that all user-accessible software is running on the phone to be Web apps and new web technologies such as HTML 5.

At the Mobile World Congress, ZTE will also launch the Android-based Grand Memo device, which is expected to have a 5.7-inch screen.