Chinese telecommunications vendor ZTE announced a reorganisation of its business as it focuses on 4G, increased efficiency and higher profitability.

The company aims to be a market leader in 4G by pursuing “game-changing breakthroughs in development of 4G equipment, 4G semiconductors and 4G devices” and is adopting a “flattened” management structure to boost profit and efficiency.

“Telecommunications and technology are intensely competitive industries, and it is vital that we constantly renew ourselves in order to excel,” ZTE chairman Hou Weigui commented.

The company will increase resources for its three pillar businesses: operators, mobile devices and enterprise. Alongside this, three emerging market segments – metropolitan public IT systems, new energy technology and mobile internet — will also be targeted.

The company also revamped the management of its handset business as it looks to focus on “key strategic operations and high-growth business opportunities” in 2014.

ZTE Mobile Devices will now operate as an independent unit under the leadership of Zeng Xuezhing, executive VP of ZTE. Zeng previously oversaw the company’s Chinese operations.

The former head of terminals, He Shiyou, will remain as an executive director of ZTE Corporation.

ZTE representative David Dai told The Wall Street Journal that ZTE is aiming to be the world’s top three handset maker by shipments in 2016. In the third quarter, the company was ranked ninth in terms of smartphone shipments by Canalys.

“With a separate handset business group, we can respond timely to fast-changing customer demand by launching new smartphone models quickly,” Dai was quoted as saying.

The company also appointed Zhao Xianming as its new CTO, while the enterprise business will now be led by Pang Shengqing.

Shi Lirong, president of ZTE Corporation, noted that it is important for the company to become “more entrepreneurial, more youthful and more focused”.

In October, the company expressed confidence that it will report a profit for 2013, following a CNY2.8 billion ($466 million) loss in 2012.