ZTE still holding out for Windows Phone 7 success

As ZTE comes out of a killer 2010 with revenues 30 per cent greater than 2009, the company is considering new platforms for 2011.

When asked if ZTE would be sticking solely with Android or venturing into Windows Phone 7 land, Wu Sa, Director of mobile device operations for ZTE UK, was open about the company's current plans, saying it's a matter of when not if the company will join Microsoft's mobile ecosystem.

However, the company promised a Windows Phone 7 handset would hit last year, when European CEO Lin Qiang was quoted as saying: "We have our Windows Phone 7 that we are going to launch in Q4 at the end of this year."

Cherry pie

At a briefing TechRadar attended this morning, Wu Sa told us, "Our platform strategy is not driven by particular technological development; it's purely driven by market demand so we cherry-pick technology to support that."

Clearly, ZTE doesn't see Microsoft's new mobile platform as a success quite yet.

Wu Sa continued, "Android at this moment in time is the best platform to answer the market need but we are closely monitoring the market for Windows Phone 7 smartphones.

"It's a likelihood that we'll see ZTE be a part of those drivers of Windows platform-based products. But by and large whether – no, it's not whether, but when – will be driven by market demand."