China's ZTE cell phone sales jump 40 pct in H1

HONG KONG, Sept 2 (Reuters) - ZTE Corp (0763.HK)000063.SZ, China's No.2 telecommunications equipment maker, said its cell phone sales jumped 40 percent in the first half of 2010, fueled by strong demand from international markets and for smartphones.

ZTE shipped 28 million handsets in the first half, with 17 million, or 60 percent, going to international markets, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

"This is attributed to increasing demand from interantional markets and a spike in 3G usage in China and smartphone popularlity worldwide," ZTE said.

It added that the company launched nearly 10 smartphone models using Google Inc's (GOOG.O) free Android operating system in the first half of 2010, with customers in France, Brazil and other markets.

ZTE's Hong Kong-listed shares were up 0.69 percent in early trade, trailing the broader market's .HSI 1.14 percent gain, while its China listed shares were up 1.76 percent, outpacing the broader market's .SSEC 0.58 percent gain. (Reporting by Doug Young; Editing by Chris Lewis)