Published: 25 November 2013

ZTE Corporation, the Chinese-headquartered global provider of telecommunications equipment and network, is planning to supply 80 percent of Zimbabwe's smartphone market with affordable handsets.

The company, China's largest listed telecoms equipment firm, is operating in more than 160 countries around the globe and has an estimated net income of over US$1 billion.

In its market update that was availed to The Sunday Mail last week, ZTE said it had identified Zimbabwe as one of its prime markets.

"Zimbabwe market is one of the most important market for ZTE Corporation. The mission of ZTE is to provide Zimbabwe people affordable handset products and high quality mobile service," said the report

ZTE said it expects to push its latest brand of the Nubia brand on the local market.
 
"In 2013, ZTE focuses on (the) Zimbabwe market. ZTE will continue to co-operate with local operators like Econet, Telecel, Telone, Netone, Powertel and Africom. ZTE plans to promote big sale of smartphones in the next five years. Our target is to allow 80 percent of Zimbabweans to afford smartphones. Whatever is your requirement for a smartphone, you can choose one type from ZTE mobile series," said the report.

ZTE said one such handset is the ZTE Nubia and the Z5 mini which has been sold to 500 000 consumers around the globe following its release a few months ago. The brand is now available locally.
 
ZTE said another of its latest baby, the O3 Nubia, would work well with the local network system.

"In 2013 Q3, high-end brand Nubia of ZTE officially released a super model named Nubia Z5 mini in Beijing. Z5 mini will simultaneously support global 3G systems of CDMA2000, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA, wherever you go, it will work perfectly with the local network. It could completely be comparable with the professional camera in the aspect of its photographing performance and experience after new upgrade and it could be regarded as ‘the single-lens reflex camera among cell phones.' "

Other brands likely to be popular with the local market are the Nubia Z5 mini, which has a 4,7 inch customised screen and Android 4.2.2 system and advanced camera technologies comprising a professional lens with 13 million pixels.

ZTE said its global market share had increased to 40 percent in 2012, with global sales volumes of 31 million in the same year.

"In 2012, ZTE handset shipments ranked at number four globally. The compound growth rate of shipment in the last five years was 53 percent, which is the highest globally. Smart terminal sales grew at an explosive rate, with market share among the top four in 2012 in the world. ZTE global sales volume reached 31 million in 2012 and global market share reached 40 percent. ZTE has business presence in 160 countries."

ZTE was founded in 1985 and has been making forays into the African market, one of the fastest growing mobile phone markets in the world.

- sundaymail