ZTE plans to sell 2 million mobiles in India

ZTE India, a subsidiary of Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE, plans to sell two million mobile handsets in India by March 2011.

“We target to sell a minimum of two million handsets in 2010-11 under our own branding,” ZTE India Chairman and Managing Director D.K. Ghosh told IANS.

“We have already launched the handsets under the ZTE brand only. But it is not much popular. So, we have decided to announce the launch with a noise and about availability of handsets with full marketing and promotion plans by next month,” he said.

The handsets, which are 3G-enabled, cost as low as Rs.1,100-3,800 and “even the high-end phones are priced well below Rs.20,000 level,” he said.

The company, which invests 30 percent of its revenues in handset business, is in talks with distributors and plans to have a network of retail outlets to sell the phones across India.

Till now, the firm has sold 20 million handsets in India through network operators like Reliance Communications, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Tata Teleservices and Vodafone Essar.

“Even after launching handsets separately, we will continue our tie-ups with the network operators,” Ghosh said.

ZTE India plans to increase the number of its employees to 3,300 in 2010 from 2,300 at present.

It will also invest Rs.200 crore in research and development this fiscal, said Ghosh.