5 October 2013,Houston—The Houston Rockets and ZTE USA,the fastest-growing smartphone provider in the United States,announced that ZTEwill be theofficial smartphone of the Houston Rockets for the 2013-14 NBA season.This isthe first partnership of itskind for ZTEglobally and the first bigconsumer marketingpush in the United Statessincethe compa?ny entered thecountry 15 yearsago.

ZTE will have the opportunity to engage directly with the fans of the Rockets around the world.ZTE will have a presence at key Rockets events,in TV broadcasts of Rockets games,in Rockets digital media,and through customized activation dur?ing Rockets games.

Both the Rockets and ZTE brands are debuting new,more powerful lineups this year.ZTE is launching two new smart?phones—ZTE Grand S and ZTE nubia 5—at the same time the Rockets have a highly anticipated new roster featuring James Harden,Dwight Howard,Jeremy Lin,and Chandler Parsons.Both brandsare expanding globally,with ZTEproviding its technology to more than 500 carriers and operators in more than 160 countries and the Rockets reaching more than 325 million people worldwide through more than 30 different networks.

ZTE and the Rockets announced this partnership in a special press event just before the first preseason game on Satur?day,October 5.Under theterms of the agreement,ZTEwill havecorporate sponsor status,includingtheuse of Rocketsmar?keting rights,TV-visible signage,and the right to announce ZTE's sponsorship of the preseason opener and new devices.Looking forward,ZTE will treat fans to giveaways and promotions at branded kiosks during home games at Toyota Center and through in-game activation.ZTE will also be the presenting sponsor of the Rockets upcoming Blacktop Battle and will participate in the Season of Giving community program.