Cuenca company is making $85 smart phones

Cuenca cell phone manufacturer Hipertronics has increased its production to 15,000 cell phones per month and says it hopes to reach 45,000 within a year. The company makes a smart phone that retails for about $85 as well as a basic cell phone that goes for $35.

Hipertronics CEO Henry Aguilar, left; photo credit: El Mercurio.

Hipertronics CEO Henry Aguilar says his company enjoys a considerable competitive edge over foreign cell phone manufacturers due to import restrictions and taxes. “Government policy and encouragement are very important to our success and growth. The government is working with us and has given us significant support,” he says. The company plans to invest $3 million within the next year, he says, to increase production and offer new products.

In addition to the brand made for the Ecuador market, Grun, Hipertronics produces products for other companies including Vantec, Blu and Ipro. Besides Ecuador, the company sells its phones in the U.S., where it works with a number of partners, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.

Hipertronics employees 38 workers at its fabrication facility in the Gil Ramírez Dávalos neighborhood, a number of them Asian who, Aguilar says, have extensive experience manufacturing cell phones. He says that many of the phone components are purchased from Asian companies.

The $85 smart phone comes with 3.2 mega pixels camera, 4 GB internal storage and has a one-year warranty.