ZTE to continue focussing on LTE innovation in the US

China's device manufacturer ZTE announced that it will continue focussing on LTE innovation in the US and will launch LTE capable products in 2011. ZTE USA launched the company's first feature phone with Verizon Wireless in August 2010. On the global market, the company is working with its partner carriers to continue bringing advanced technology in 2011 in a price range that more users can afford. In the first half of 2010, ZTE had shipped 17 million handsets to the international markets (i.e. markets outside China), making up 60 percent of total shipments. In addition, the company experienced a growth rate of 30 percent compared to the same time frame in 2009, attributable to volume breakthrough in high end markets including the US, Europe and Japan. ZTE launched a wide variety of Android devices in the year of 2010, including the Libero handset in Japan, the Blade handset in France, the Racer handset in the UK and the Light tablet in Europe and Asia. In a report released by iSuppi, ZTE moved into the top 5 global handset vendors. ZTE continues to work to reach its goal of becoming one of the top 3 handset vendors in the world. With a focus on end-user experience, ZTE teamed up with key partners in the industry including SmithMicro Software and Qualcomm to deliver smartphones and intelligent mobile internet service that meet the growing demand for bandwidth. According to ZTE's executive president He Shiyou, product customisation for wireless operators will become more important as 3G and 4G/LTE standards are adopted worldwide. In mature markets, 70 percent to 80 percent of all handsets are customised by operators. Vendors that are flexible with their product designs will surge ahead, according to ZTE.