Huawei Device, ZTE, Lenovo and Asustek Computer are likely to double their shipments of smartphones in 2013, buoyed by their cooperation with telecom operators in China, Europe and the US, according to industry sources.

The four brand vendors appear to have followed the steps of HTC to ramp up their market share by cooperating with telecom operators around the globe, indicated the sources, adding that such a practice has helped the four vendors improve their competitiveness, in terms of product roadmap development, product design and performance, and rising yield rates.

Huawei, ZTE and Lenovo have benefited most from their cooperation with the top-three telecom operators in China – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom – to an extent that the three vendors are now able to roll out flagship smartphone models that are comparable to those offered by first-tier brands, commented the sources.