Sales have gone up for local phone assembler TECNO thanks to the phone registration system that Ethio Telecom has recently put into effect. The company said they had experienced losses when similar phones from other companies entered the Ethiopian market without following the necessary procedures but now this is no longer the case.
“The tele system has been incredibly encouraging and helpful. When our phones are assembled, we follow the correct procedures and pay the necessary tax to the government. In the past we were really affected by phones entering the country illegally. Through contraband it was easy to find similar phones to the ones we assemble here in the market. We have now seen a significant change with our sales after the phone registration system was put in effect recently,” said Liya Gebreyohannes a communications director at TECNO.
TECNO says they are currently focused on assembly, but their long-term plans include manufacturing some parts of the phones locally. Currently, TECNO is number one when it comes to market share and sells its phones that have been assembled in Ethiopia to the rest of Africa and some Asian markets.
“The company has its only assembly factory in Africa, in Ethiopia and it supplies many markets on the continent and some in Asia. Looking at their 2017 performance the company has sold phones worth 50 million USD. It has over 2,000 employees in its factory as well as other facilities and departments,” said Liya.
According to her, every year, the company sets a target the number of phones to be sold in Ethiopia. This December their goal is 43,000.
“The demand for the phones has been really good, one reason for this is the one warranty service we provide as well as other after sales services. One of the most important things in the local market is durability and the long-lasting battery,” Liya stated.