Cheng Lixin said in an interview that the device will be introduced to the United States by the end of 2018 or early 2019. However, the specific plan may be adjusted according to the deployment status of the 5G network and the availability of necessary chipsets.
Cheng Lixin said that this will be a smart phone, but the company may also launch 5G tablet or home wireless hub device.
Earlier this month, AT & T said the company is poised to deploy 5G handsets in 12 cities this year, but no specific list is available and Qualcomm said it will launch a new chip to support the 5G network.Unless these two major support factors, ZTE and most other mobile phone manufacturers are difficult to release viable 5G equipment.
Cheng Lixin made the comment in an interview during CES, just as China's handset makers were scrutinized by the U.S. government, which was fined $ 1.2 billion last year for violating U.S. embargo on Iran. Was identified as a source of cyber espionage by a committee of the U.S. Congress in 2012. Huawei planned to announce the first carrier-to-operator agreement with AT & T this week in the United States, but was about to announce a premature abortion.
ZTE has already sold cell phones in the United States through AT & T and Verizon, and although handset makers can still sell cell phones in the United States without the need to reach an agreement with operators, this cooperation can boost their marketing and sales activities.
Data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence show that ZTE's share of the global smartphone market is small, down from 2.1% in the third quarter, but it is one of many Chinese handset makers that challenged the dominance of Apple and Samsung.
If the company really launches its 5G smartphone by early 2019, it could become one of the first of its kind on the market and hopefully challenge Apple and Samsung.
The two leading smartphone market players have yet to release plans for a 5G smartphone, but Samsung announced this month that it has partnered with Verizon to provide a 5G network for some California families. The U.S. government also authorized Apple to test 5G networks last year, indicating that the company may consider Development 5G version of the iPhone.