ZTE wants bigger slice of high-end pie

Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp is set to roll out more high-end smartphones in the United States, while consolidating its share of the entry-level end of the market, a company executive said.

"The US carriers are asking us to bring more mid-and high-end devices to the market, and adding handsets with higher price tag also fits our strategy in the country," said Cheng Lixin, senior vice-president of ZTE and president of ZTE North America.

The vendor, based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has already signed major new sponsorship deals with three National Basketball Association teams in New York in an effort to raise its brand awareness, becoming the official smartphone provider for the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors.