Turkey’s Vestel to start making smartphones in January

ISTANBUL - Reuters

Turkish electronics and domestic appliance maker Vestel will start producing smartphones in January, the company’s CEO Turan Erdoğan has said. Hürriyet photo

Turkish electronics and domestic appliance maker Vestel will start producing smartphones in January, the company’s CEO Turan Erdoğan has said.

The company is talking to mobile network operators in Turkey and abroad, Erdoğan said in an interview on the sidelines of a conference, as the Istanbul-based company seeks to enter the fiercely competitive smartphone market.

“We plan to sell [smartphones] in both domestic and international markets. We will produce millions. We will become one of the leading players in this market,” Erdoğan told Reuters during the Led Lighting Expo opening ceremony on Sept. 26.

Erdoğan stated that Vestel grew by 30 percent in domestic markets in the first nine months. He added that their exports started to recover thanks to orders from Europe for the September-November period. He reminded that there was stagnation in European markets but after their stocks were finished, they received orders in considerable amounts. “We’re trying to keep export at last year’s level,” he said.

Vestel aims to increase its exports volume from $2.9 billion last year to $3.1 billion this year.