Xiaomi Unveils Smartphone Sales Ambition, Expansion

Xiaomi, the Chinese handset maker that nabbed former Google VP Hugo Barra, has announced its plans to begin selling devices in the wider international market. Kicking things off will be an expansion into 10 markets, none of which are the United States, unfortunately.

Xiaomi is a popular smartphone maker in China, and boasts very high sales numbers in the nation. The expansion into additional markets should boost that number considerably, with the maker's CEO Lei Jun detailing the expansion ambitions earlier today.

According to Lei, Xiaomi aims to increase its smartphone sales numbers by a factor of five next year, something for which it is getting the ball rolling now. Nations set to get access to the maker's phones include Russia, India, and Brazil. When (or, perhaps, if) the US will be counted among them wasn't specified.

Smartphones won't be the only device sold, however, with Xiaomi today taking wraps off a couple of new routers and an updated set-top box. Said the company's President Bin Lin, "You can certainly call this an acceleration. It's our mission and our belief that this model should be able to achieve some level of success outside of China."

SOURCE: Bloomberg