(Yicai Global) Aug. 25 -- Construction has begun on Vivo Communication Technology’s CNY4.9 billion (USD756.5 million) smart home device headquarters as China’s most popular smartphone brand looks to ramp up market share in the intelligent end terminals sector.

Located in the Binhaiway bay area in Dongguan, near the hi-tech hub of Shenzhen, the 28-hectare site will feature a research & development center, manufacturing plant and staff accommodation, the Securities Times reported yesterday.

The housing project will deliver 580,000 square meters of accommodation for its high-end talent which will be priced at just CNY12,000 (USD1,853) per square meter, much less than neighboring properties that cost in the range of CNY45,000 per sqm, the report said.

Vivo already runs 10 R&D bases and seven plants worldwide that can produce 200 million intelligent devices a year. Earlier this month it opened another two factories in Pakistan and Turkey. Costing CNY65 million (USD10 million), the Pakistan base can produce six million units a year and the CNY130 million Turkish plant can make five million units annually.

Vivo was the country’s best-selling mobile phone brand in the three months ended June 30 with 23.8 percent market share, according to US market researcher International Data Corp. Oppo Mobile Telecommunications came second with 21.1 percent and Xiaomi third with 17.2 percent.

The Dongguan-based firm is also in the top five global cell phone makers, behind Samsung, Xiaomi, Apple and Oppo, with a 9 percent share, according to Singaporean market research firm Canalys.

Vivo is also building a new headquarters in Shenzhen. Costing CNY4 billion (USD617.5 million) and with a floor area of 100,000 sqm, it is due to be completed in 2024 and will employ around 6,000 staff.

Editor: Kim Taylor