ZTE eyes $800 million in India revenue next year

China's ZTE said today it aimed to grow its revenue from the Indian market to $800 million in 2014 as the world's fifth-largest telecom equipment and smartphone maker expands its retail presence in the country.

ZTE India's revenue for the first 10 months of this year rose to more than $400 million, it said in a statement, adding it plans to invest $10 million next year on marketing and branding initiatives and open more stores to boost its phone business.

China's ZTE serious about Indian business

ZTE manages a 4G network for top Indian telecommunications carrier Bharti Airtel's 4G network in the city of Kolkata. It also manages networks for Sistema's Indian mobile phone services unit in some areas.

ZTE earlier this year started selling smartphones and tablets in the crowded but booming Indian market through retailers. It also sells wireless data cards.The company launched six smartphones in July, targetting the entry-level and midrange segments, where local players such as Micromax, Karbonn and Lava dominate. These smartphones are the Grand X Quad Lite, the Blade L, the Kis Flex, the Blade E, the Blade G2 and the Blade C. The Android-based smartphones cover a wide spectrum of prices: the Grand X is priced at Rs 14,999, the G2 at Rs 11,599, the Blade C at Rs 7,599, the Blade L at Rs 12,599, the Kis Flex at Rs 5,799 and the Blade E at Rs 11,999.

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However, the company did  not announce plans to bring some of its more high-profile top-end models to India, which could give ZTE better brand exposure as well as set them apart from the Indian companies.

With inputs from Reuters