Jul 22, 2016
How China’s ZTE has steadily grown its smartphone business in Canada
Golf fans attending this year’s RBC Canadian Open may notice ZTE charging stations located around Oakville, Ontario’s Glen Abbey Golf Club. ZTE, a Chinese telecom behemoth, has been steadily growing its smartphone business in Canada. To maintain the momentum, it’s spending more on high-profile sporting events.
“We are working with different sports areas to get our name out and build brand awareness,” Lixin Cheng, president of ZTE North America, told BNN in an interview.
ZTE is using its Canadian Open sponsorship as an opportunity to promote its new Axon 7 phone, which the technology site The Verge recently described as having “high-end specs and design with a budget price.”
While the smartphone business is highly competitive, Canadian carriers often seek new partners to help offset the dominance of Apple. Cheng says ZTE currently sells 15 devices in Canada, catering each model to the needs of different carriers. He notes ZTE’s market share in Canada has “almost tripled” since 2014.
Along with its one-year deal with Golf Canada for the Canadian Open, ZTE also has a partnership with Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Joffrey Lupul. “As a brand ambassador, we’re working with his charity and giving back to the community,” said Cheng.
ZTE has taken a similar marketing approach in the United States, where it sponsors five professional basketball teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, who faced off in this year’s NBA championship.
Meanwhile, as ZTE’s business grows in Canada, so has its workforce. Cheng says roughly a quarter of its 400 employees in North America are Canadian based. Out of its 11 offices and 6 R&D centres in North America, 4 offices are located in Canada, while it has an Ottawa-based R&D facility.
