ZTE has announced a wide-ranging restructuring, including spinning off its mobile operations into an independent business unit.
The vendor has appointed executive vice president Zeng Xuezhong, formerly head of its operations in China, to lead up the new ZTE Mobile Devices unit.
ZTE aims to become a major contender in the smartphone market, and also has its eye on the emerging wearable device segment.
More broadly, ZTE is realigning its operations with a focus on its three core areas - operators, mobile devices and the enterprise. SVP Pang Shengqing has been named head of the company's enterprise business, while EVP Zhao Xianming has been selected as CTO.
The operator-facing division of the company will intensify its focus on 4G equipment, terminals and semiconductors, and on other areas with higher profit potential.
In a statement, ZTE president Shi Lirong said the restructuring is aimed at keeping the company agile in an intensely competitive industry.
“It is important for the company to become faster, more entrepreneurial, more youthful and more focused,” he said. “We need to execute changes in our strategy, our organization and our culture in a responsive and timely way.”