Fair Electronics Ltd, a local company, will soon start assembling a wide range of Samsung 4G smartphones with the technological support of the global electronics giant at its newly established plant in Narsingdi.
The official inauguration of the new mobile manufacturing plant was held at a ceremony titled 'Exploring New Horizon of Technology' at a city hotel on Tuesday, organised jointly by Fair Electronics Ltd and Samsung Electronics Bangladesh.
The company hoped that locally assembled 4G-enabled handsets would be available in the market before the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.
Managing director of Samsung Electronics Bangladesh Seungwon Youn announced the inauguration of the Samsung mobile unit in the country with Fair Electronics as their partner.
He said the company is committed to providing genuine and world-class Samsung products to the customers in the country.
The handset manufacturing unit will take the advantage of growing demand for affordable low-end smartphones, he added.
Ruhul Alam Al Mahbub, chairman of the Fair Group, said the 58,000-square-foot plant with state-of-the-art facility will initially employ 500 Bangladeshi workers.
"The growth of the mobile handset market has encouraged us to set up the assembling plant in the country," he said.
The number of internet users in the country now stands at 80 million and 94 per cent of them are accessing the internet through mobile phones, he added.
Chief marketing officer of Fair Group Mohammad Mesbah Uddin said they expect to market Samsung smartphones before the Eid after getting quality certificate.
Every part of mobile phone sets would be imported from Samsung factories abroad for assembling the products in Bangladesh, he said.
Muyeedur Rahman, head of mobile, Samsung Electronics Bangladesh, said Fair Electronics has made the total investment for the plant and Samsung will provide technological support.
Samsung has assured that the assembling plant would produce mobile handsets of world-class quality, he added.
Samsung grabs the largest chunk of Bangladesh's increasing smartphone market with 46 per cent share.
Chinese brand Symphony is its close competitor with 37 per cent stake at the market, according to the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association and Bangladesh Mobile Phone Business Association.
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