LIVE FROM MOBILE ASIA EXPO 2014: ZTE is plotting how to become a globally-recognised brand – a move which will be underpinned by a major, strategic shift according to Zeng Xuezhong, the company’s global head of mobile devices.

The shift is to what Xuezhong dubs Smart 2.0, or a market where user value predominates.

“We want to become a leading global consumer electronics brand,” he said with an accent on “the affordable premium” part of the market.

“The industry is currently undergoing an evolution that started with featurephones and was followed by Smart 1.0, which is where we are now and is dominated by the concept of user experience,” he commented.

Xuezhong said success in the era of user value is defined by certain vendor characteristics including worldwide networks, strategic cooperation with operators, Big Data-based precision marketing, 4G/5G, IoT, and personalised consumption.

Xuezhong referenced some of ZTE’s credentials which include relationships with 210 operators, as well as long experience in R&D. He also put a lot of emphasis on the company’s 4G expertise. ZTE was the first vendor to launch a 4G terminal in China, he said.