ZTE has signed a distribution agreement with video-communications offerings distributor Touchline Video  to bring its full series of video-related products, including telepresence, HD videoconferencing, video surveillance, digital home equipment and IPTV offerings to the UK market.

The ZTE video conferencing system (VCS) currently has mature applications in 27 countries and regions with 35 industry customers and the distribution agreement with Touchline Video marks ZTE''s first move into the UK video-conferencing marketplace, said ZTE.

ZTE UK managing director Jim Jing Hui said the ZTE VCS system supports SIP (session initiation protocol) and IMS network multimedia integrated services, and a wide range of terminals including VoIP phones, 3G video mobile phones, IM soft terminals, and videophones.

"ZTE invests more than 10% of annual sales revenue into R&D. As a major listed provider of powerful integrated multi-media communications systems, ZTE can provide its customers with the most comprehensive and customisable solutions at very competitive price points. We expect UK businesses to be taking advantage of ZTE VCS from November 2011 onwards," said Jim Jing Hui.

"We're seeing video calling gain traction in the consumer space with established services like Skype and nascent services such as video messaging in Facebook and Xbox Kinect all helping to raise familiarisation. Indeed, it will soon be commonplace in the home over IPTV channels. Business demands enterprise quality services of course, and we're very happy to be working with ZTE to bring those services to the UK market," said Cross.