China's Huawei seeks US foothold in smartphone race: exec

BARCELONA, Spain: China's Huawei Technologies believes it can take advantage of recent changes in how operators in the United States sell phones to get a foothold in the all-important market, an executive with its consumer division said. 

Huawei, best known as a maker of telecom network gear, became the world's third-biggest smartphone manufacturer last year, through the sale of mid-priced handsets within its fast-growing domestic market and an increasing appeal to price-conscious consumers in western Europe.