PCS Wireless has signed a deal to distribute a range of ZTE devices to U.S. and Canadian carriers, saying the companies will target regional carriers. “This agreement with ZTE begins a new chapter for PCS by expanding our open market distribution activities into regional carriers,” said Ben Nash, CEO of PCS Wireless. “Outside of a select number of carriers, access to customized devices for regional carriers has been very fragmented.”
PCS said carriers will have a wide selection of phones compatible with both CDMA and GSM bands, ranging from from feature phones to Android Smartphones. Carriers will be able to work with ZTE to develop phones branded with their own custom flash screens, retail packaging, and other brand identity.
Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE USA, says his company is already supplying all the top tier U.S. carriers. Worldwide, he says ZTE shipped more than 100 million handsets (16 million smart devices) last year and saw its handset revenue grow by 50%.
ZTE hopes to drive LTE adoption in 2012 by launching a full series of LTE handset products at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012.
The company is participating in the annual CES this week in Las Vegas and launching LTE products like smartphones, hotspots, tablets and fixed station products. New devices will also feature powerful, high-end technology while enhancing user experience with audio, visual and touch functionality, the company said.
“In 2012, ZTE will put additional resources into developing LTE devices, which are very important as we increase market share across the world,” said He Shiyou, Executive Vice President, and Head of the Terminal Handset Division, ZTE.
“ZTE will also develop middle-to high-end handsets and work with our partners worldwide to create flagship and series products that meet customers’ demands,” Shiyou added.
ZTE’s smartphone portfolio will see an expansion this year with new handsets running the latest operating systems.
“In 2011, ZTE exceeded its 12 million unit smartphone sales target, which reflects a 400% increase year-on-year. That figure is expected to double in 2012 with significant growth and increased market share expected in Europe, North America, Brazil and Japan,” the company stated.
“ZTE USA is proud of its work in 2011. We had a strong year in which we grew our presence in the United States in large part by launching a number of quality, affordable devices, many of which now bear the ZTE brand name. In 2012, we look forward to continuing to grow as a telecommunications leader in the U.S. market and making today’s latest technologies more accessible to American customers,” ZTE USA’s CEO and President, North American Region, Lixin Cheng said.
The products that the company is demonstrating at CES 2012 include its latest LTE handsets including Arthur, LTE tablets V6 and V8, LTE hotspots MF91, LTE datacard MF 880 and MF821, LTE CPE MF28D, and Windows Phone Tania, as well as the newest products brought to market in 2011, which included 10 devices for top tier American carriers.
This year’s display of US devices includes the ZTE WarpTM and ZTE ScoreTM smartphones as well as the ZTE MemoTM and ZTE ChorusTM feature phones.
