Accra, Feb 8, GNA - Huawei, a Chinese telecom company, is to launch its first own-branded device in the UK as part of plans to bring "smartphones for all" and has kicked off a recruitment drive in Ghana.

Huawei would use Britain as the launch-pad for its drive to become one of the biggest Smartphone brands.

In a press release and copied to the Ghana News Agency said Mark Mitchinson, a telecoms industry veteran, was brought in to spearhead the drive earlier this year and the first Huawei phone, the Blaze, is close to release.

He said by 2013, Huawei device aimed to be one of the world's top handset manufacturers, and we are well-placed to achieve that goal.

"We are going to get to a point where we're a credible player in the market. I want to make an impact this year." he added.

He said the company currently has 25 people working on the launch in the UK and will beef that up by "50 to 60 per cent".

Mr Mitchson said the device unit makes up a small part of Huawei's business, which in the UK has a total headcount of 500, and plan to double that total by 2015, and will recruit 1,500 sub-contractors.

He said the company also makes phones for other UK phone companies including Vodafone and Everything Everywhere, which owns T-Mobile and Orange.

Mr Mitchson said Huawei Blaze, which will run the Android operating system and cost less than 100 euro, would be the first of a series of phones and devices from Huawei, including tablets and media pads.

He said: "Smartphones for all is a key message. Huawei will open up the door for that. The next explosion is the data explosion."It's about the right proposition. The UK could be the blueprint of how we roll this business out into the rest of Europe. China and the UK are the two key markets for the launch of devices."

Mr Mitchinson said their outfit is lacking in marketing and promise to work towards that to ensure effective competition in the market.

Huawei was established in China by RenZhengfei in 1988 and serves 45 of the top global mobile network operators, covering a third of the world's population.

It first moved into devices in 2003, making handsets for other companies. It will ship 12 million smartphones this year, with sales hitting $6bn (£3.7bn).