Vivo (technology company)

Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd., d/b/a vivo (stylized as all lowercase), is a Chinese multinational technology company headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong, that designs and develops smartphones, smartphone accessories, software, and online services. The company develops software for its phones, distributed through its V-Appstore, with iManager included in their proprietary, Android-based operating system, Origin OS in mainland China, and currently discontinued Funtouch OS elsewhere. It has 40,000 employees, with 10 R&D centers in Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi'an, Taipei, Tokyo, and San Diego.[3][4]

History

Since its founding in 2009, Vivo has expanded its global market, serving over 400 million users with its mobile products and services in over 60 countries and regions.

Controversy

IMEI and build number controversy in India

In June 2020, the cybercrime unit of Meerut Police revealed that more than 13,500 Vivo smartphones used in India were operating with the same IMEI number. The IMEI number is a 15-digit code intended to be unique to each mobile device, which can be used for tracking criminals or stolen mobile phones. By using the same IMEI number for multiple devices, Vivo may have hindered police efforts to track criminals or stolen devices. In 2017, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issued a statement requiring all mobile devices to have a unique IMEI number. Failure to comply would be considered tampering and could result in a fine or imprisonment for up to three years.

The events led to the police filing a case against Vivo and its service center. The issue reportedly came to light when a police officer submitted his mobile phone to the staff at the cybercrime unit for examination, as the phone was not functioning properly despite being repaired at a Vivo service center in Meerut. The cybercrime unit discovered that the IMEI number of the device differed from the one printed on the box. They then forwarded the IMEI number to an unidentified telecommunications company that provides services for the handset and requested the relevant data. The company informed them that as of 24 September 2019, the same IMEI number had been associated with 13,557 mobile phones across different states in the country. The Meerut police reportedly issued a notice to Vivo India's nodal officer, Harmanjit Singh, under Section 91 of the CrPC and also registered a case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code.[29][30][31][32]

Tax evasion allegation in India

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence of India (DRI) raided the offices of Vivo in July 2022 and accused the company of tax evasion. The company allegedly remitted almost half of its turnover out of India.[33] The Enforcement Directorate also blocked the bank accounts of the company to prevent further money laundering.[34] The agency also found that some top executives of Vivo who are Chinese had incorporated 23 shell companies in India, with the help of a Chartered Accountant, Nitin Grg. "These (23) companies are found to have transferred huge amounts of funds to Vivo India. Further, out of the total sale proceeds of Rs 1,25,185 crore, Vivo India remitted Rs 62,476 crore or almost 50 percent of the turnover out of India, mainly to China", the ED said in a statement.[35][36] In October 2023, the Enforcement Directorate arrested the head of administration of Vivo India on money laundering charges.[37]

native name	维沃移动通信有限公司
founders	Shen Wei Duan Yongping
area served	Worldwide
key people	Shen Wei (CEO) Baishan Hu (executive vice president & COO) Spark Ni (senior vice president & CMO) Yujian Shi (senior vice president & CTO)
industry	Consumer electronics
type	Private
products	Smartphones Software and Online services
subsid	iQOO and Jovi
owner	BBK Electronics (2009–2023) Shen Wei (2023–present)
num employees	40,000‡R2R‡
num employees year	2022
homepage	vivo.com
foundation	May 22, 2009
location city	Dongguan, Guangdong
location country	China

Vivo (technology company)

History

Marketing

Controversy

IMEI and build number controversy in India

Tax evasion allegation in India

External links

References