FILIPINO technology company Star Telecom Alliance Resources Inc. (Star Inc.), the parent of smartphone brand Starmobile, announced on June 15 the start of its mobile phone-production efforts in the Philippines.
In a statement, Star Inc. said it has started assembly of 20,000 units of the UNO B208 feature phone in a facility in Calamba, Laguna. This ground-breaking effort officially makes Starmobile the first Filipino brand to assemble mobile phones locally, according to Gerry Torres, Starmobile’s Quality Control Team leader who oversees the inspection of the UNO B208.
“Since we started five years ago, it has been the company’s goal to contribute to the local economy and provide employment by assembling phones in the Philippines,” Starmobile COO Michael Chen said. “Aside from bringing us a step closer to our dream of building up the Philippines [as] an important player in the global tech scene, this will also benefit our bottom line, as it will result in more cost- and time-efficient logistics and shipment around the country.”
Chen added: “Because we will have parts and an assembly facility locally, we expect this to improve our after-sales support for our customers.”
While smartphones are more popular than ever in the Philippines, the demand for basic call-and-text feature phones still thrives in the country, the company said. “Their affordability allows them to be great daily drivers for a large segment of the population, while their focused call-and-text services and compact screens allow them to be very power efficient.”
According to Star Inc., the facility can assemble a minimum of 1,000 units per day.
Image credits: Star Telecom Alliance Resources Inc.