The huge ZTE stand in the MWC is a reminder that it is still alive under the radar. And it is also a message: they will return

This is my fifth time in the Mobile World Congress. The first four were between 2013 and 2016, and from all those editions I remember the imposing Zte stand well.

They didn’t have then an especially relevant market share or a reputation that will justify so much space (At that time I dedicated myself to trying mobiles and I took a 3 a zte, the lowest note I have ever put), but its staging suggested otherwise.

ZTEs set up show. Of the good, with thunderous music and a generous free bar of life -threw canapés for journalists in trouble, and also of the Chungo, resorting to hostesses with attire that made eyebrows arise even in an environment as little progressive as a global technological congress. His strategy seemed clear: to be noticed as it was.

Nine years after my last MWC I have returned to the fair, and there is still Zte, with a stand As big as then. But something has changed, in addition to the fact that they already dress more elegant to their hostesses: the manufacturer has vanished from the Spanish market.

Their phones no longer occupy space in the lines of the stores, they do not appear in any sales ranking and It is virtually impossible to cross one on the street. What has been of that Chinese giant who tried to conquer the West? Where has Zte got while we didn’t look?

The perfect storm

To understand the apparent disappearance of ZTE of the European panorama, it is necessary to go back to 2018, the year in which This manufacturer suffered an existential crisis. He Department of Commerce From the United States, he imposed a veto for the sale of US components to ZTE for seven years for violating a prior agreement related to sanctions to Iran and North Korea. The measure was devastating: Zte depended completely on Qualcomm chips and Google software among other American technologies.

The company literally stopped its operations for three months, until it agreed to pay a fine of 1,000 million dollars, change its entire directive dome and submit to the supervision of an external committee designated by the US. It was a blow that never recovered completely in western marketsespecially because it coincided with the beginning of the commercial war between China and the United States. Touched and sunk.

Unlike Huawei, which Betterly resisted geopolitical attacks, Zte was more vulnerable. With less resources and a much weaker brand positioning, they opted for a strategic withdrawal of the markets in which their profitability was compromised.

A silent strategy

The surprising thing is not that ZTE has disappeared – he has not done it – but that he has reconfigured his business completely … without making noise. He has pivoted from a global conquest strategy to a more selective and pragmatic approach:

1. Geographical concentration. ZTE has reinforced his presence in markets where he had competitive advantages or privileged relationships: China, of course, but also Southeast Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa and some areas of Latin America.
2. Focus change. Their smartphones were the most visible for the final consumer, but only represented one third of their income. The true ZTE nucleus was always the telecommunications infrastructure equipment, a much less visible but much more profitable B2B business.
3. 5G specialization. ZTE has become one of the main world suppliers of equipment for 5G networks, competing directly with Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia. According to data from Dell’oro GroupZTE maintains approximately 10% of the global 5G infrastructure market.

Zte not only survived the storm, but has grown, but otherwise different from the previous one. His income in 2024 was about 16,000 million euros. Far from the figures of the greats, but also far from the ghosts of bankruptcy.

Invisible markets

ZTE’s commercial map today is curious. They have opted strong for countries that do not usually appear in Western technological headlines:

This presence in “invisible markets” for Western radar Add contracts that are worth a lot of money although they impose so much on their Newsroom. While Europe and North America have progressively restricted the access of Chinese manufacturers to their critical networksthese other territories have received with open arms to the affordable alternatives to traditional suppliers.

A silent industrial revolution

Maybe ZTE’s most interesting turn has been towards industrial digitalization. Has developed solutions for “smart factories”digital mining, autonomous ports and intelligent energy networks. This market, much less sexy than that of smartphones but much more profitable for a brand like yours, has allowed Zte to grow under the average consumer radar.

It is the silent metamorphosis of a manufacturer of Gadgets to an industrial technological provider.

Contrary to what it may seem to us from Spain, ZTE continues to manufacture mobile. It maintains several product lines, including some names that are still familiar to us, such as the Axon series of high -end and the mid -range blade. They are sold mainly in China and emerging markets, where Google’s absence is a minor barrier.

It also maintains Nubia, a more innovation and design oriented submarket. The clouds Z50 and Redmagic 8 Pro (The latter focused on Gaming) They have had some reception in Asia, although they go completely unnoticed in Europe. At this fair his asset has been to announce A fairly reasonable folding for less than 1,000 eurosin addition to Hold the commitment to telephony Gamer.

It is a calculated movement: they do not aspire to master the market, but to occupy specific niches where the benefits/price ratio can make them competitive. In product positioning, and in regional availability.

ZTE’s strategy with his smartphones is clear: Do not compete where you can’t win. Why invest in marketing and distribution channels in Spain, where getting a 1% market share would cost millions, when that same money can ensure 15% in countries such as Indonesia or Egypt?

All this is supported by a revealing fact: As they just announced themselvesits shipments of smartphones abroad grew more than 60% for 2024, highlighting Latin America, Africa or Southeast Asia. A figure that, even if it does not place them among the greats, shows that There is life beyond Western markets.

The geopolitical issue

You can’t talk about ZTE without addressing The elephant in the room: Geopolitics. The company is still under scrutiny in the West. In 2020, the Federal US Communications Commission He designated ZTE as a “threat to national security”label that has not yet emerged.

This situation has created a fork for telecommunications:

1. A western ecosystem dominated by European and American companies.
2. And an alternative ecosystem led by China.

ZTE operates comfortably in the second, while maintaining a very limited presence in the first.

The great ZTE stand in the MWC has more political declaration than commercial strategy: It is a reminder that they are still a relevant global actor, although the West has decided to look the other way. His Presentation of advanced FWA and MBB solutionswhere according to The last TSR report He maintains the world leadership for four consecutive years, it is not accidental: it is a way of saying “you ruined the smartphones market, but we could get up and master other markets.”

There are even Subtle signals of cultural change and adaptation for Do not repeat the errors of the past. For example, sexualized periodic dances are no longer seen as yesteryear: the female presence distils decorum and elegance.

The invisible future

ZTE is a good example of a growing trend: The division of the technological world into spheres of influence. While in these latitudes we focus on Apple, Samsung or Xiaomi, there is a whole universe of innovation and technological trade that we barely recorded in our western radar.

And it is fair to admit that ZTE has demonstrated remarkable resilience:

• Instead of disappearing after the crisis of 2018, he reinvented himself.
• Instead of insisting on hostile markets, he found new territories less Sexies But where the accounts do.
• Instead of staying as a device manufacturer, he evolved towards comprehensive solution supplier.

This year’s bet for AI, visible in all its new devices from 5G routers to smartphones, aligns perfectly with this strategy. They do not compete in pure hardware, where sanctions limit them, but in intelligent integration of services and experiences.

That gigantic stand In the MWC It is not nostalgia for past times or a vain statement. It is the reminder that Zte is still a giantalthough we have stopped seeing it in Mediamarkt and in the subway.

And perhaps, too, a subtle message: when geopolitics change again – and will do it – they will be ready to return.

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