ZTE executive director and president, Shi Lirong, is honoured among most powerful executives in telecoms industry

20 October 2011, Shenzhen, China – Shi Lirong, executive director and president, ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, has been named as one of the most powerful executives in the annual Global Telecoms Business magazine Power 100.

Global Telecoms Business is a leading telecommunications industry publication based in the UK but with a worldwide readership. The Power 100 is an annual list of the top 100 executives helping to shape the ICT landscape. With representatives from the service providers, technology vendors and regulatory communities, the top 100 executives are selected by long-standing magazine editor Alan Burkitt-Gray. The top 20 is comprised primarily of telecommunications service providers with just four technology vendors mentioned alongside Shi Lirong.

"To be ranked so highly among my peers from the telecoms industry is an honour. But to have had the pleasure of working for 20 years at ZTE is also an honour that I recognise every day. This recognition in Global Telecoms Business magazine is a reflection of the great work carried out by the thousands of ZTE employees around the world,” said Shi Lirong. “The world of communications will change out of all recognition over the next 20 years I am sure. I am also sure ZTE will remain at the forefront of this innovative industry.”

"As executive director and president of ZTE, Shi Lirong heads one of the key makers of telecoms equipment and devices,” writes Alan Burkitt-Gray, editor of Global Telecoms Business. “Under Shi, ZTE has become one of the global top five vendors and is the global leader in many markets. The company says it applied for more patents in the first quarter of 2011 than any other company in the world.”

The magazine, which is the largest issue in the history of Global Telecoms Business, also features an exclusive feature article by Shi Lirong focusing on the importance of research and development, and ZTE’s strong focus on innovation and patent creation. “Without patent law, the costs and risks of research and development would deter investment, consequently few would innovate and the industry would stagnate,” writes Shi Lirong in Global Telecoms Business, “Patents, like standards, form the bedrock of our industry without collaboration protected by patents, we would have pockets of barely interoperable communities. ZTE owes its rapid growth and stable expansion to the constant innovations and innovation has become the theme of the company’s development.”