ZTE aims for the top in Canada

"We are also exploring opportunities with Bell Canada," he said, adding that Bell, TELUS and Rogers — ZTE Canada's main partners — dominate 90 percent of the Canadian telecommunication industry.

"Globally, the demand for smartphones continues to grow. The expectations and needs of consumers will continue to expand, and we need to be prepared to address them," Xu said, "and we understand the world needs more powerful band waves and newer technologies have to come in to provide super fast communication."

Xu says Canada has a lot of history and expertise in telecommunications technologies. ZTE is also currently cooperating with several Canadian universities to explore ways to bring technology to China and the world.

"Several U.S. companies are leading the way to provide key components within the mobile value chain and ecosystem," Xu said. "We utilize those technologies in our products and leverage our research and development and supply chain. We can also source some of the components in China at very affordable prices. The labour costs tend to be lower there.

"And of course we will never sacrifice quality to cost because good quality is the key of our success in the North American market," he said.

"We are working to grow our business in Canada, and we are taking a very deliberate approach," Xu said. "Being a publicly traded company we have a responsibility to our shareholders to ensure positive financial results. In Canada, we are contributing to that goal."

ZTE is aware of the need to employ locals if it wants to develop and grow in Canada, so as to better understand the local culture and business environment, Xu said. Currently 90 percent of its Canadian hires are local.

"Our carrier customers are increasingly understanding and appreciating the value ZTE products can provide them. We are excited about the possibility of seeing ZTE become a top ranking mobile device provider in this market," Xu said.