Chinese vendor ZTE has reported strong growth for full-year 2009, mirroring rival Huawei, as it enjoyed major domestic 3G success and traction in international markets. Full-year revenue rose 36 percent compared to 2008, coming in at CNY60.3 billion (US8.8 billion), whilst net profit surged 48 percent to CNY2.46 billion (US$360 million).

Full-year 2009 revenue from domestic operations grew 74 percent to US$4.45 billion, and ZTE claimed to be “China’s largest supplier of 3G network equipment,” dominating the network construction tenders of the three mobile operators (China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom). Revenue from international operations rose 11.3 percent year-on-year to US$4.37 billion, accounting for 49.6 percent of total group revenue. ZTE touted “footholds in important markets in Europe and America, which are set to become significant growth spots for the company in the coming years.” Operators CSL, KPN and Telenor were cited as major network deals, whilst ZTE noted that “sales of terminal products were on the rise in Europe and the US, auguring well for the realisation of our development and business objectives for 2010.” For 2010, ZTE’s domestic growth at least may slow, as China’s operators are reining in capex.  For its part, ZTE said it would continue its strong focus on foreign markets this year.