STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Chinese publication Commercial Times reports that the Sony Ericsson Google Android-based smartphone will debut in Orange's network, by this year's December festive season.

The publication cites internal sources within the European carrier, that point to a joint launch between Sony Ericsson and Orange.

Sony Ericsson's CEO had earlier confirmed that the manufacturer believes that there is still a need for "a lot of acceptance from a consumer viewpoint, and there is still some time to go", which meant that a possible device was nowhere ready for the market.

HTC"s second Android-based phone, the Magic, was recently put available for pre-order at Vodafone's UK website. The network will be the first to retail the device, and there are no reports on T-Mobile's offering for the moment.

[via DigiTimes]