Zte Aims for 50 Million Handset Sales in 2008

ZTEs mobile phone sales will surge 60 percent year-on-year in 2008 and the world's sixth biggest handset maker aims to "significantly lift the portion" of sales with its own brands, the Chinese firm told the Shanghai Daily newspaper.

In 2007, the firm sold just over 31 million mobile phones and has a target of breaching the 50 million mark this year, according to Gu Yongchen, general director of ZTE's corporate branding and communications department.

"We can achieve the target through deep cooperation with carriers and improved handset designs," Gu said at ZTE's booth during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

ZTE started handset business as a contract manufacturer and provided phones for the world's top carriers such as Vodafone and China Mobile. ZTE aims to establish its brands in the middle and even high-end market from the entry-level segment now, industry insiders said.

In 2007, about 46 percent of ZTE's sold phones were with its brand (including co-brand) and the figure will surge in 2008, Gu told Shanghai Daily.

Meanwhile, ZTE's GSM equipment sales jumped 315 percent year-on-year in 2007 and the CDMA equipment sales doubled last year, according to Xu Ming, vice president of wireless products management division.

The sales will continue to grow as the increasing demand among carriers with cross-broad business in emerging markets, like Vodafone and even China Mobile, which has acquired a carrier in Pakistan, Xu said.