Huawei sees rapid smartphone growth in South Africa: CEO

Reuters
A model displays a newly launched Xiaomi Mi 4i phone in Hong Kong, China May 5, 2015. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - China's Huawei Technologies company expects to double smartphone device import to South Africa, reaching 2 million this year, chief executive of the local unit said on Thursday. "Last year we sold 1 million devices and this year in 2015 we will double the shipment," Steven Wu told reporters on the sidelines of a conference. Huawei is keen to take advantage of Africa's smartphone growth potential, which analysts suggest will continue to boom as cheaper phones accelerate penetration that will rise from about 79 million at end 2012 to 412 million by 2018. Besides South Africa, Huawei was eyeing greater investments in Angola, Nigeria, Egypt and Mozambique. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng)