ZTE Aiming to Launch 5G Smartphone in U.S. By Early 2019

ZTE could be one of the first 5G phone makers for U.S. market
Chinese manufacturers facing scrutiny by U.S. authorities

Employees are reflected in a ZTE Corp. sign at the company's headquarters in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen, China, on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014. ZTE, a Chinese maker of telecommunications equipment and systems, is scheduled to report second quarter earnings on Aug. 20.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

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By Mark Gurman

January 12, 2018 at 4:15 AM UTC

Updated on

January 12, 2018 at 5:42 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE Corp. aims to launch a smartphone with faster 5G internet capabilities in about a year, according to Lixin Cheng, chief executive officer of the company’s mobile device business.

The device would be introduced in the U.S. at the end of 2018 or early 2019, Cheng said in an interview with Bloomberg News. Plans may change based on the availability of fifth-generation networks and the supply of the necessary chipsets. Cheng said it would be a smartphone, but also noted that a 5G tablet or wireless-internet hub for homes were possibilities, too.