zte

FBI takes aim at ZTE over alleged Iran dealings, report says

The FBI is investigating Chinese telecommunications company ZTE for its alleged dealings with an Iranian telecom, according to a new report.

The Smoking Gun is reporting, citing sources, that the FBI is investigating ZTE for allegedly acquiring hardware and software from U.S.-based technology companies and then illegally shipping them to Iran's government-controlled carrier, the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI).

Reuters, which first reported on the allegations back in March, said at the time that ZTE bought surveillance equipment that could have been used by TCI to spy on Iranian citizens. The contract, according to Reuters, was inked … Read more

ZTE says it will have TD-LTE devices by the end of year

Chinese handset maker ZTE plans to build LTE devices with a standard used in China and elsewhere around the world, according to Reuters.

The news service reported today that Japan's Softbank may be among its first customers. ZTE is supposedly talking to Softbank for a potential order of TD-LTE devices.

Long Term Evolution, or LTE, technology is the fourth-generation wireless technology that wireless providers around the world are using to bring faster networks and more capacity to their subscribers. There are two main types of LTE technologies: TD-LTE, or time division LTE; and FDD-LTE, or frequency division duplex LTE. … Read more

China's ZTE, under feds' scrutiny, aims to up its U.S. investments

ZTE isn't giving up on the U.S.

The Chinese telecommunications giant promised to grow its investment here by 10 percent annually as it looks to smooth over security concerns expressed by the U.S. government. ZTE's head of North America, Lixin Cheng, made the comment during a conference in Atlanta, which ZTE distributed as a statement.

"Put simply, we believe Chinese investment in the U.S. is beneficial for businesses in both countries," Cheng said in his remarks.

ZTE, alongside fellow Chinese company Huawei, faces scrutiny over whether its expansion here poses security risks. The … Read more

Backdoor security flaw found in ZTE Score M

A security hole was recently discovered in MetroPCS' ZTE Score M, allowing third parties the ability to control the device.

On May 10, a guest post on Pastebin included a hard-coded password for a root shell backdoor that would allow a hacker access to the Score M.

The post reads:

The ZTE Score M is an Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread) phone available in the United States on MetroPCS, made by Chinese telecom ZTE Corporation.

There is a setuid-root application at /system/bin/sync_agent that serves no function besides providing a root shell backdoor on the device. Just give the … Read more

AT&T Avail by ZTE hands-on: A compact Gingerbread GoPhone

NEW ORLEANS--In addition to showing off its V96 tablet this year here at CTIA, ZTE also displayed its AT&T Avail. The device is a prepaid GoPhone that retails for $129.99.

Equipped with a 3.5-inch TFT touch-screen display, the Avail has a 600MHz processor and includes 512MB of RAM.… Read more

Huawei plans a 'get to know us' campaign in the U.S.

Here's the problem with Huawei's image: it doesn't have one.

While known in technology circles, it is a virtual nonentity for many consumers, some of whom are probably unaware they are using a Huawei smartphone.

Huawei, however, wants to change that, and is planning a large U.S. marketing campaign to build consumer awareness of its brand. The company has already worked with its carrier customers -- typically prepaid players such as MetroPCS or Leap Wireless -- to jointly do so. But with the planned campaign, slated for the second half of the year, the company will … Read more

ZTE to bring Windows Phone to U.S. by year's end

NEW ORLEANS--From a user point of view, ZTE's head of the North American business, Lixin Cheng, prefers the Windows Phone OS over Android.

"In my personal experience, the iPhone, of course, has a well-polished user interface experience," Cheng told CNET. "And then Windows, and then Android."

But for the small-time phone manufacturing company, which has been steadily trying to plant a presence in the United States, releasing Windows Phone devices hasn't been easy.

In fact, the majority of ZTE handsets run on Android. Along with the ZTE Orbit, which is available in the U.… Read more

ZTE plays the long game on building consumer awareness

NEW ORLEANS--ZTE is virtually unknown in the U.S. and, at least for now, that seems to be OK with the company.

The Chinese company, the fourth-largest handset vendor despite its minimal presence in the U.S., is focusing on building up its relationship with the carriers and supporting their needs, said Lixen Cheng, president of ZTE's North American business, in an interview with CNET today.

"We do plan on building our consumer brand by working more closely with our carrier partners," he said.

While relatively unknown, ZTE is an up-and-comer in the U.S. handset business. … Read more

The ZTE Score gets a sporty makeover for MetroPCS

About a month ago in March, I got my hands on the ZTE Score by Cricket Wireless. Aside from its decent call quality, there wasn't much to write home about. The device had a unresponsive touch screen and its speed (both in relation to the processor and network) was sluggish.

Tacking on an extra "M" at the end of its name (I'm assuming it stands for MetroPCS...or maybe marshmallows?), MetroPCS got a hold of the device, changed up the design a bit to accommodate a larger battery (the original score had a 1,200mAh battery; … Read more

ZTE aims high, hopes to sell 100 million smartphones by 2015

In addition to its presence at this year's Mobile World Congress, and the steady number of devices it's offering to the U.S. market, Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE is setting its sights even higher.

According to Reuters, the company is worth $9.3 billion, sold 15 million smartphones in 2011, and is the fourth largest handset manufacturer in the world.

The company projects that it will sell 50 million smartphones by the end of this year, and is aiming for 100 million by 2015.

It also plans to release two devices that are crosses between a phone and … Read more