Oppo increases market share in Latin America

Chinese smartphone vendor Oppo is expanding its global footprint by partnering with America Movil－the largest telecommunications operator in Latin America－despite the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the partnership, Oppo smartphones will be available in the Mexican and Latin American markets through America Movil's subsidiaries in the region, namely Telcel and Claro.

The move is the latest push by Oppo to expand its presence in the global tech arena, with its products now available in more than 40 countries and regions.

Wu Qiang, Oppo's president of global sales, said the collaboration with America Movil enables Oppo to enter the mainstream Latin American market, signifying an important step in the company's global market development.

Marcos Linares, deputy director of marketing at Telcel, said the collaboration brings more innovative products and services to the Latin American market, allowing users to enjoy good experiences and making them feel that the future has arrived.

Establishing and developing partnerships with important global network operators has been one of Oppo's strategies to expand its brand in the global market. Currently, Oppo has formed partnerships with over 80 network operators around the world, the company said.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, Oppo is accelerating efforts to expand its overseas presence. In May, the company announced a comprehensive partnership with Vodafone, which will bring a broad range of the Chinese company's smartphones to its European markets.

In the first phase of cooperation, Vodafone will introduce Oppo's products across retail channels in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the Netherlands.

While physical retail is currently constrained by the outbreak, Oppo and Vodafone are developing online sales channels to ensure continued support for customers.

Despite the progress, Oppo still faced challenges such as sluggish global smartphone market and strong competition from rivals.

In the second quarter of this year, worldwide smartphone shipments decreased 16 percent year-on-year to 278.4 million units, said market research company International Data Corp.

"Smartphones shipments suffered a huge decline in Q2 as they directly correlate to consumer spending, which had a massive reduction due to the global economic slowdown and rising unemployment brought on by the widespread lockdowns," said Nabila Popal, research director for IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.

But early signs of market recovery have showed up in the China market, with the smartphone supply chain recovery specifically strong in the nation, according to IDC.

From April to June, Oppo was the No 5 smartphone vendor in the world after Huawei Technologies Co, Apple Inc, Samsung and Xiaomi.