Huawei set to become No 2 smartphone vendor

Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd aims to become the world's second-largest smartphone vendor by 2015, moving up one notch from its current position, according to Yu Chengdong, chief executive officer of Huawei Consumer Business Group.

Huawei was ranked the No 3 smartphone vendor globally in the fourth quarter of last year, said research firm IDC. The Shenzhen-based company has looked beyond the traditional telecom equipment business and explored the smartphone area in recent years.

In a news conference in Shenzhen on Wednesday, Yu said Huawei plans to ship 80 million smartphones this year, helping the company's share of the global market reach 8 percent to 10 percent by year-end, up from its current 4.8 percent.