ZTE becomes first Chinese manufacturer to produce 500 million handsets

During the company’s 15th anniversary celebration of its terminals division, ZTE announced it has become the first Chinese mobile device manufacturer to produce 500 million handsets. Moving forward, ZTE has plans for continued growth the mobile device business, while increasing its brand value internationally.

Outlined by Chairman Hou Weigui, high-end boutique devices will be the new focus for the company. To ensure success of its future mobile devices, Hou has pledged as much resources and support as needed. ZTE also wants to further build its brand, grabbing attention in areas like Times Square, and the Fukuoka Dome in Japan.

“ZTE’s technology stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s leading companies, but the value of our brand is still under-appreciated.”

To reach more consumers worldwide, the Grand S and Grand Memo are said to launch internationally very soon. Helping with this, and future boutique devices, are partnerships with retailers such as Wal-Mart, Phones4U, Best Buy, eBay, Media Markt, Suning, and Taobao.

Although boutique devices have a higher price point, manufacturers like HTC have taken a similar approach. Thanks to a confusing product line, and devices launching on just one carrier, the Taiwanese company saw rapidly declining profits. Now, with a renewed focused, HTC has given the world the One, an extremely impressive device available starting today.

Will this laser focus on boutique devices, and better branding, pay off? It’s too early to tell. However, if ZTE has anything in the pipeline similar to what we’ve seen from HTC, they could easily sell another 500 million handsets.

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