DUSHANBE, April 17, 2013, Asia-Plus – The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) of Tajikistan and China’s telecom equipment and mobile phone vendor, ZTE Corporation, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the sphere of telecommunications.

The document was inked in Dushanbe on April 17 by Tajik Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Sharif Rahimzoda, and ZTE Vice-President, Sun Cheng (phonetically spelled). 

ZTE Corporation has been active in Tajikistan since 2002, when it won a GSM network contract in Dushanbe.  ZTE modernized telephone exchanges across Tajikistan, and in 2005 it built a commercial Next Generation Network, a single network for telephone and internet provision, the first of its kind in Central Asia. In December 2006, the China Development Bank (CDB) gave a $70.6-million loan to the Tajik-Chinese mobile operator TK-mobile for new equipment purchased from ZTE.

ZTE Corporation is a Chinese multinational telecommunications equipment and systems company headquartered in Shenzhen, China. It is the world''s fourth-largest mobile phone manufacturer measured by 2012 unit sales and the world''s fifth-largest telecoms equipment maker measured by 2011 revenues (after Ericsson, Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens Networks).

ZTE''s core products are wireless, exchange, access, optical transmission and data telecommunications gear; mobile phones; and telecommunications software.  It also offers products that provide value-added services, such as video on demand and streaming media.  ZTE primarily sells products under its own name but it is also an OEM, manufacturing some products which retail under other brand names.

ZTE was founded in 1985 by a group of state-owned enterprises associated with China''s Ministry of Aerospace.   ZTE has several international subsidiaries.