The second biggest cell phone maker in China, ZTE Corp., is aiming at overtaking its rivals in the smartphone business from Europe and the US, being helped by the growing popularity and device range of tablet computers running on Google’s Android platform. ZTE’s Thomas Granstorm said in an interview with the media that the combined market share of the company in the two regions may jump to 10% in the upcoming 12 to 18 months from its current 5% shares it had at the end of 2010.
Granstorm is the general manager of the Shenzhen-based company in the Nordic region and has the authorization to speak for its markets in the US and Europe. ZTE plans to win over market share from its rival companies such as Nokia, Samsung, Apple and LG, after selling a total of 90 million handsets throughout the world last year, registering an increase of 50%. The company from China is betting heavily on the high demand for Android based handsets, cloud services and software application suits for fueling its revenue growth in the coming years.
Granstorm said that even as the company is starting to see strong opportunities for growth in certain segments, it doesn’t yet have the broad portfolio required to cover more ground in the overall market for smartphones. According to the executive, in order to include a range of products from wireless radio stations to software and mobile phones, the company is attempting to extend its relationships with mobile operators like Vodafone Group Plc and Royal KPN NV’s German E-Plus division. Products which include high speed household routers and instant call and message software suits are being presented by the company to its potential customers in Europe.
With a product range that includes the Vodafone 553 device and the Blade phone, ZTE predicts that the sales of its handsets business in 2011 in Europe will register an increase similar to that of last year’s 150%, according to Granstorm. The company was also one of Apple’s earliest competitors in the tablet market after the launch of the original iPad. Granstorm says that it is about to start selling the Base Tab, which is a co-branded version of its ZTE Light tablet, through E-Plus in the upcoming months. He also said that the company plans to release a newer version of the tablet equipped with fourth generation transmission capabilities in the fourth quarter.
