Joburg company to pioneer smartphone manufacturing in Africa
A Johannesburg start-up says it is set to become the first company to manufacture smartphones in Africa, taking advantage of low costs and growing local demand to build handsets, tablets and other devices based on Google’s Android system. Onyx Connect, a privately backed company that’s raised R150m, will begin production in the first quarter, according to sales director Andre van der Merwe. The company is licensed to load Google software like Android and Chrome onto devices sold under its own brand or products it makes for others. "We are talking to companies to manufacture handsets, laptops and possibly Android TV boxes," Van der Merwe said. Those talks included Google and Johannesburg-based Vodacom Group the South African unit of Vodafone Group, he said.
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