ZTE Ships 100 Millionth Mobile Phone

China's ZTE says that it has achived a sales record of 100 million handsets. ZTE originally started selling its handsets on a large-scale basis in 2002, with initial output reaching 1.8 million units and by 2004, ZTE had made 11 million units. To sustain the momentum and keep pace with stiff competition in the global handset arena, ZTE changed its handset business strategy from 2005 and opted to collaborate with global telecom carriers and service providers to further expand its global reach.

"Reaching the one hundred million handset sales milestone is truly a stunning feat. This accomplishment is attributed to our advanced telecom technologies and expertise in meeting the requirements of our valuable business partners, who are amoung the leading telecom carriers and providers globally. No doubt, ZTE will continuously play a significant role in the global handset market in the next five years," said Mr. Hou Weigui, chairman of ZTE Corporation.

ZTE has now established partnerships with well-known telecom carriers such as Vodafone, Hutchison Whampoa and Telefonica, further developing its businesses in high-end markets including Europe, North America and Japan.

"This outstanding achievement is far more than just a sales figure, but rather significant proof of our successful strategy of forging win-win partnerships with global telecom partners. Meeting the ever-changing requirements of today's demanding mobile phone users. We are indeed proud to reach this corporate milestone and we want to share that with our major stakeholders," said Mr. He Shiyou, Executive Vice President of ZTE Corporation.

According to Frost & Sullivan, handset users in Asia's emerging markets will reach 573 million by 2012. On the other hand, Gartner predicts mobile phone sales in Asia Pacific will continue to rapidly grow, reaching 828.7 million units by 2012. In line with these trends and to capture higher market share, ZTE has been establishing strategic global partnerships and significantly investing in R&D.

ZTE says that it is now ranked the 6th largest mobile handset manufacturer worldwide in terms of global shipment and is confident to further expand its international business footprint in the years to come.

Posted to the site on 25th September 2008