LAS VEGAS--Sendo, the UK-based GSM handset vendor, has finally made its push into the U.S. by opening an office in the Dallas area. The company, which quietly announced its U.S. presence here at the Consumer Electronics Show, also said it would have a U.S. carrier contract in the next few months.

The company, which has a number of European contracts--including one with Virgin Mobile--likely will follow a similar strategy of targeting the number three and four carriers in each U.S. market, according to Greg Christian, who was named to lead the U.S. effort.

“The carriers view the handset right now as a non-competitive weapon,” he said. “The question they all face is how to differentiate.”

Sendo’s handsets can be produced in significantly smaller production runs than devices made by large vendors like Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson. The company is also going to emphasize it will be the first in the U.S. with a Microsoft Stinger-based platform.

Using the Stinger OS, the company can put a fairly large array of capabilities into its higher-end phones, including an MP3 player, a video platform and the ability to automatically synchronize with outside application like Microsoft’s Outlook.