ZTE said that it expects to report a full year profit of between CNY1.2 billion ($198 million) and CNY1.5 billion, due to “a large-scale improvement in profitability in its major operations”.

It cited “stringent control” in expenses, and tighter scrutiny of businesses that offer lower margins during 2013. It also strengthened its management of cash flow and account receivables, resulting in an increase in operating cash flow.

The company reported a loss in its last full year period (calendar 2012), which was attributed to delayed projects both at home and overseas, and the impact of lower-margin deals.

It said that in China, it “capitalised on its ‘early mover’ advantage in 4G LTE to consolidate our leading position in the market”. It also said it “achieved major breakthroughs in the telecommunications markets in South Africa and Spain, and became a top-4 smartphone provider in the US”.

Looking forward, the Chinese vendor said it is “committed to pursue further reforms in its operations to add new flexibility and vitality to the company”. This includes plans to “leverage its leadership of the 4G market in China to grow its operations internationally, and target significant breakthroughs in the development of 4G equipment, mobile devices and chipsets”.

In mobile devices, it will focus on user experience and branding.

The company also recently announced a restructure designed to make its mobile devices and enterprise business groups “more responsive and efficient”.