It's not just ZTE
I've been poking around inside Android phones for some time now and ZTE and Huawei are not alone in abusing data.
I'll be doing my part in having Alcatel put under the microscope for their recent actions.
It also depends if you purchased a carrier modified OS as well.
One of the first Androids I messed with was an ancient Samsung S2 from T-Mobile and it had a bunch of "analytic" settings enabled by default sending data back to T-Mobile.
It must be coincidence that I'm seeing this article today after spending most the night unlocking and flashing an old ZTE Desire phone.