SHENZHEN, China--()--ZTE climbed into the global top five of smartphone manufacturers and maintained its No. 4 ranking for overall handset shipments in the second quarter of 2012, according to IDC, a leading provider of global ICT market research and advisory services.
According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, ZTE shipped eight million smartphones in the second quarter of 2012 and its worldwide market share was just 0.5 percentage points behind HTC and 1.4 percentage points behind Nokia. This is the first time ZTE has ranked in the global top five smartphone providers.
The IDC data showed that ZTE smartphone shipments increased by 300 percent over the same period in 2011, and achieved a global market share of 5.2 percent. ZTE smartphone sales growth came principally from mainland China and major overseas markets such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“ZTE’s great smartphone performance in 2012 in international markets has been a major contributor to our consistent expansion, and is a demonstration of the depth and strength of our R & D,” said ZTE EVP and Head of the Terminal Division, Mr. He Shiyou.
“We have moved into the middle to high-end smartphone market with the recent launch of the ZTE Grand X in countries including China, Turkey and the UK, and we will continue to build our handset capabilities in the middle and high range sectors, while still delivering great lower-end smartphones like the ZTE Kis.”
In the second half of 2012 ZTE will launch the ultra-thin quad-core Grand Era smartphone with high-end performance and design that will give consumers the ultimate mobile Internet experience.
"Smartphones are making up a higher and higher percentage of our mobile devices," said Mr. He Shiyou. “Entering the smartphone manufacturers top five is an important milestone towards our target of becoming one of the top three mobile phone manufacturers in 2015.”
ZTE smartphone shipments for the full year of 2011 were more than 15 million, an increase of 400% over 2010, making ZTE the fastest growing smartphone maker after Apple.
Source: IDC Press Release, "Strong Demand for Smartphones in Second Quarter Continues to Drive the Worldwide Mobile Phone Market, According to IDC," 26 July 2012. Available: http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23624612
About ZTE
ZTE is a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions with the most comprehensive product range covering virtually every telecommunications sector, including wireless, access & bearer, VAS, terminals and professional services. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 140 countries, helping them to meet the changing needs of their customers while growing revenue. In 2011, ZTE’s revenue increased by 29 per cent to USD13.7 billion. Its overseas operating revenue grew 30 per cent to USD 7.4 billion during the period, accounting for 54.2 per cent of overall operating revenue. ZTE commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to research and development and has leadership roles in several international bodies devoted to developing telecommunications industry standards. ZTE is committed to corporate social responsibility and is a member of the UN Global Compact. The company is China’s only listed telecom manufacturer that is publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ). For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn.