Global telecoms equipment firm ZTE has announced that it saw a 1.8 million unit shipment of passive optical network optical line terminals (PON OLTs) last year.

ZTE said that a successful sales drive took the firm to a market-leading position both for market share and the total number of PON OLT units shipped.

According to a report issued by market research firm Ovum, ZTE's market share now stands at 40.9 percent in this area.

Ovum's report also showed that ZTE's new market share is more than three times larger than it was at the beginning of 2011.

Commenting on his firm's recent successes, ZTE vice-president Zhu Yongxing said: "Our achievement reflects our ability to build momentum in the market and is an affirmation of the quality of ZTE's PON OLT technology.

"We will continue to provide our high-level expertise and service to the optical access market with a view to helping operators around the world build smart high-speed optical networks."