ZTE forays into Indian retail handset mkt; unveils 5 handset

Chinese telecom firm ZTE Corporation today entered Indian retail market as a standalone player hoping that the contribution of the Indian market to its global handset sales would go up to 20 per cent from the existing 16 per cent.

"India is a key focus market for us and we are delighted to launch ZTE branded handsets in the retail market as this would play a critical role in furthering our existing market-share in the country," said ZTE India Chairman & Managing Director D K Ghosh.

The company has launched a range of low-cost GSM handsets — S315, A261, R220, R230 and R230BT at price points ranging from Rs 1,100-3,800, it added.

The sixth largest handset maker in the world, ZTE said it has sold over 20 million handsets in India through partnerships with various telecom operators. It is targeting a network of 100,000 retail outlets in India by this year-end.

The company has appointed Overseas Mobiles as its national distributor for mobile and data devices. Overseas Mobiles will be appointing 80 regional distributors across India and manage relationships with distributors and corporate customers on behalf of ZTE.