Chinese company Huawei, which has had a presence in SA for almost two decades, went from being a name no-one could pronounce, to a brand of cellphone that most consumers are well aware of. The telecommunication company — which had had contracts with mobile operators well before it launched its handsets in SA — has only recently gained broader recognition since it entered the smartphone market in 2010. In the past, its work in SA was limited to network infrastructure. Today, Huawei occupies the number three spot in an assessment of the market share of mobile phones. At 9% it is just behind Apple’s 10% but still a long way behind Samsung — which enjoys a market share of 40%, according to research by Effective Measure. In 2015, a Huawei representative said its estimated market share was 3%. By the end of that year, the International Data Corp put it at 7%, and Samsung’s share at 56.6%. Huawei’s growth is thanks to a focused, relentless marketing and visibility campaign. It aims to even...

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