ZTE Corp., China’s second-largest telecom equipment maker, has grabbed new market share overseas, beating out major multinationals, according to a company announcement.

The Shenzhen-based firm said Thursday it had won a national broadband telephone network project in Angola, competing with global giants including Siemens, Ericsson and Alcatel.

On Friday, ZTE said it had further enhanced its strength in Asia with two new projects, one GSM project in Nepal and one NGN (next-generation network) project in Mongolia.

The firm also announced a major breakthrough in the European market with a 25 million Euro (US$30 million) project in Bulgaria.

“We think this year is ZTE’s international year. We believe the next 10 years will be crucial for the company in building its image as one of the world’s telecom giants,” a company source said Saturday.

“ZTE was one of the earliest Chinese telecom companies to explore the international market. We feel especially proud that the recent orders we received all popularize ZTE’s high-end products, including 3G products, NGN, broadband and digital products,” said the source.

ZTE started its overseas efforts in 1999. To date, it has made substantial progress in Asia, Africa and South America. In 2004, ZTE’s overseas sales reached US$1.64 billion, accounting for 40 percent of the firm’s total revenue.

 (Shenzhen Daily October 24, 2005)