ZTE flogs 35 million phones in first half of 2011

CHINESE PHONE MAKER ZTE flogged 35 million handsets in the first half of 2011 and has ambitious plans to sell even more with 30 launches set for the rest of this year.

The increase sees sales up 30 per cent for the company and it resulted in a 400 per cent increase in smartphone sales, ZTE said.

The Chinese vendor is aiming to launch over 30 smart terminals during the remainder of 2011, including mid to high-end smartphones such as the ZTE Skate, a Windows Phone 7 smartphone and TD-LTE dual-module and dual-waiting models.

In 2011, the low-cost ZTE's Blade became one of the world's top-selling smartphones, ZTE claimed. The Android handset is now available in nearly 50 countries and regions, through partnerships with approximately 80 operators globally.

Meanwhile, in ZTE's homeland of mainland China, the Blade is selling like hotcakes, boasting daily sales of 16,000 units per day - the highest Android sales in the nation.

The company has now sold 2.5 million Blade handsets globally and expects to break the five million mark this year. It aims to ship 12 million smartphones in the second half of the year.

In Europe, ZTE has partnered with over 65 operators on smartphones, with its handset sales increasing over 30 per cent in the region during the same time period.

According to analyst IDC's World Mobile Phone Tracker July 2011 report, ZTE became the fifth-largest mobile phone vendor in the world based on shipment numbers for the first two quarters of this year.

The company said will continue to seek to grow its handset business. ZTE EVP He Shiyou said, "We are pleased with the success of the Blade worldwide and of our other handsets in other major markets. We aim to launch over 30 smart terminals during the remainder of 2011, including mid to high-end smartphones such as the ZTE Skate, a smartphone harnessing Windows Phone 7 and TD-LTE dual-module and dual-waiting models."