The Internet of Things is expanding its reach into more Chinese homes as two titans in Chian have pledged to form deeper ties.
Chinese electronics and home appliances retailer Suning and Chinese telecom device maker ZTE announced a strategic cooperation between the two parties for expansion of IoT services into people's homes. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
The two companies will cooperate in hardware development, content integration, and product customization, covering various sectors such as cloud computing, big data, smartphone services, communication devices, and smart home services.
Hou Weigui, chairman of ZTE, said that they will build a stronger cloud infrastructure for Suning and expand their 020 cooperation.
In the future, the two parties are expected to implement close cooperation in other areas such as Internet finance, virtual carrier services, and IPTV. They will also consider potential cooperation in smart TV and video content.
At the end of 2015, Suning Rundong invested CNY1.93 billion in ZTE's Nubia. Suning and ZTE announced that they plan to sell 10 million Nubia phones via Suning's channels over the next three years. At the same time, Suning's PPTV streaming media service also signed a cooperation agreement with Nubia for resource integration, smartphone customization, and virtual reality development.