Turkish incumbent Turkcell is preparing to launch the first smartphone developed entirely by domestic engineers.
The T40 is the latest addition to Turkcell’s T-series of smartphones, and is being brought to market seven months after the carrier revealed its plan to launch an ‘in-house’ smartphone at the Mobile World Congress. The Android device runs a Qualcomm 1.2-GHz dual core processor, offers 4-GB of memory, and features a 4-inch screen.
Sureyya Ciliv, chief executive of the telco, says the firm has sold nearly a million T-series smartphones to date, contributing around 500 million Turkish Lira (€186 million) to the country’s economy. “We should be able to develop high tech smartphones with our local human resources.
The Turkcell chief says home grown devices are needed to stem the flow of non-domestic smartphones into the country. Ciliv notes the number of mobile phones imported into Turkey in 1H13 grew 7% to 6.2 million units, a “large part” of which are smartphones. “[O]ur aim should be to ease the burden on the current account deficit,” he says, adding. “Our aim with the Turkcell T40 is to encourage others in the sector to also develop a local smartphone, thereby contributing to the Turkish economy.”