Dubai: HTC Corp, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, expects to grow revenues across the Middle East and Africa region by 50 per cent this year, driven by the launch of the HTC One smartphone, according to a senior executive.
The smartphone maker launched the new HTC One in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, and the Middle East and Africa is being targeted as a key region for marketing spend, Jon French, vice-president for the region, told Zawya Dow Jones at the launch event.
“We are putting more focus on the region, with a new office and new investments,” said French. “We are taking a more focused approach in terms of where we invest our marketing dollars and I’m pleased to say the MENA region has been selected as one of those regions.”
Within the region, HTC is focusing on the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, he added, without disclosing any forecast sales volumes for the area or individual countries. The new HTC One is priced between Dh2,300 ($626) and Dh2,700 in the UAE and runs on the Google’s Android operating system.
The new phone was unveiled last week in London and New York and represents an important launch for HTC, which has struggled to match the smartphone sales of some of its peers over the past 18 months. In January, HTC said fourth-quarter net profit fell 91 per cent to 1 billion New Taiwan dollars ($34.4 million) from NT$10.94 billion a year earlier.
