China's ZTE aims for share of Italian phone market by 2017

(AGI) Rome, July 7 - A new Chinese competitor has its eye on Italy's smartphone market and is determined to conquer the market shares left behind by Nokia and other declining brands. The Chinese firm ZTE is an old acquaintance of Italy's: its mobile phones have long represented entry-level products for top brands. The Chinese company specialises in telecommunications systems and infrastructure, and is now ready to take things to the next level. It will follow the same model as Huawei, which managed to edge out consolidated brands such as Samsung. ZTE recently signed a deal with Media World - the Italian brand name for European retail giant Media Markt - to place its core products directly on the shelves. This includes the Blade B7 and Blade V7 Lite, as well as the entry-level Blade L5 Plus, Blade A452, and Blade A506. "We want to follow two parallel paths: a traditional one, in collaboration with phone operators and which is reliant on their client base; and the other that is directly on the market," affirmed the General Manager of ZTE's South Europe Mobile Device Division, Simon Zhang. "We want the message that our technology is reliable to get through in the next two or three years, and to progressively free ourselves from other brands to propose our own. We're aiming to conquer 4 to 5 percent of the Italian market by the end of 2017." Mr Zhang said he is aware that ZTE's first challenge will be to spread awareness of its brand. "The first phase of our entry strategy will focus on value for money. In the second phase, we'll offer the best product at the lowest price," he stated. ZTE, he added, does not view Huawei and its spin-off Honor as competitors. "We won't affect their market, but follow their trail. Huawei was the first Chinese company to be universally accepted. ZTE is another Chinese company that creates reliable products, so it could become the second. Although the market is very complicated, we intend to fill the gaps left by Sony, Nokia, and other brands that have lagged behind. We're the number one company in terms of infrastructure technology and we wish to place it at the service of consumers." (AGI). .