Mobile technology provider ZTE is to launch its own branded range of smartphones in the UK. The white-label wireless device company has signed a distribution agreement with device supply chain company Brightpoint that will see ZTE step into the competitive smartphone market.  

China-based ZTE has forecast that it will sell 80m handsets this year, up from 60m last year. 

“The success of the ZTE Blade, and the overwhelmingly positive reception at this years Mobile World Congress of the forthcoming Skate device, demonstrate that ZTE is set to become a key player in the smartphone sector,” says Wu Sa, director of mobile device operations at ZTE UK. 

“We chose to work with Brightpoint since its strategy dovetails with ours. ZTE made a commitment at the start of 2011 to alter its strategy from being a featurephone-centric supplier to producing much higher-end smartphones and delivering an enhanced user experience to the mass market. We are working closely with Brightpoint to launch smartphones into the UK market this year. We expect ZTE to become a household name synonymous with high quality smartphones and tablets.”