Amway China signed a new agreement with China Telecom on Friday to provide its salespeople with 3G phones with special online product and sales functions.

The agreement, which was signed at Amway China's headoffice in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, will let qualified Amway salespeople attain custom-made 3G smart phones with several functions especially designed for them. The functions include online shopping, sales queries, customer sevices and makeup simulation.

"No matter whether it is 3G smart phones or the web, they are just tools or vehicles that can assist our salesmen with selling the company's products," Gan Chee Eng, President of Amway Greater China explained. "Quite unlike e-shops, our model is that our salesmen will still look for customers, although they can access information through tools like 3G phones or the internet, rather than have customers look for products on the internet on their own initiative.

"Amway China has considered introducing e-commerce services in recent years. But Gan said that even if the company launched its own online shops, they would serve as yet another tool for its salespeople."We have promised that Amway China will not leave its salesmen," Gan said.

Amway China, the country's leading direct sales company, has 300,000 salespeople in its sales network. The company's products include cleaning agents, small kitchen appliances, household products, and nutrition, personal care and beauty products.

Last year, Amway China had revenue of 17.6 billion yuan (nearly $2.6 billion), a 28-percent increase over its revenue in 2007.China Telecom, one of the country's three telecom companies, launched trial commercial 3G service in selected Chinese provinces in March.