ZTE confirms more Windows Phone handsets, plus massive 2012 demand for handsets

ZTE has confirmed that it will be releasing handsets powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform in 2012, as well as significant surges in demands for its handsets throughout 2011.

According to reports, ZTE expects its handset shipments to double in 2012. The launch of Windows Phone-powered handsets, along with its growing fleet of budget and mid-market handsets, will no doubt contribute towards this growth.

Speaking to Reuters, ZTE’s Lv Qianhao said: ‘The United States and China will be key engines driving our smartphone sales.’

Lv said ZTE's smartphone shipments had far exceeded a target of 12 million last year as the Shenzhen-based company shifted to higher end smartphones from churning out feature phones in an effort to boost profit margins, reports Reuters.

It added: ‘ZTE was the fourth-largest mobile phone maker in the third quarter, according to IDC, ABI Research and Strategy Analytics. But it was ranked by research firm Gartner as the fifth-largest handset maker, with a 3.2 percent market share, far behind Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics Inc and Apple Inc.’

ZTE launched a Windows Phone handset in the US during Q2 of 2011 but we’ve yet to see a Microsoft-themed handset in the UK. The company hasn’t released one in its native China as yet either, but claims it will launch one there by Q3 of this year.

There’s no word on whether ZTE will release a Windows Phone handset in the UK just yet.