Transsion’s lead in African phone market under threat from fellow Chinese rivals

In 2018, Transsion Holdings sold 124 million mobile phones, capturing 48.7% of Africa’s mobile phone market, and 7% worldwide. But the Shenzhen-based mobile phone maker is far from a household name in China, unlike its domestic peers Xiaomi and Huawei. In fact, Transsion has never sold a single mobile phone in China.

On April 1, Africa’s top mobile phone vendor filed an application to go public on Shanghai Stock Exchange’s new tech board, planning to raise RMB 3.3 billion (around $490 million) in its initial public offering (IPO).

Transsion Holdings, which owns three phone brands—Tecno, Itel, and Infinix—held a combined 48.7% share of Africa’s mobile phone market last year, according to its prospectus, citing data from research firm IDC.

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