Telecoms group from China settles in Bern
The Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer ZTE has opened its Swiss headquarters in the city of Bern. Following Huawei two years ago, this marks the arrival of yet another Chinese telecommunications giant in the canton of Bern.
ZTE Switzerland will initially employ around 30 people, the Bernese Department of Economic Affairs announced on Monday. Around 100 jobs are planned in the medium term.
The Chinese ZTE Corporation, headquartered in Shenzhen, is one of China's largest telecommunications equipment suppliers with over 85,000 employees. ZTE's customers include more than 500 network operators in over 140 countries. ZTE has been active in Europe for ten years with over 30 branches.
The Chinese group examined various locations in Switzerland and finally decided on the canton of Bern, writes the cantonal economic directorate. The central location in Switzerland, multilingualism and proximity to customers in the telecommunications industry are likely to have tipped the scales in favor of Bern.
According to the press release, the Bernese cantonal government and the city of Bern are not only pleased about the new jobs. This settlement is also important because it strengthens the information and communication technology cluster in the canton of Bern.
Two years ago, the Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei Technologies set up shop in Bern-Liebefeld. According to earlier information, the number of employees there is set to rise to 49 by 2012. (SDA)
