SAO PAULO -- Huawei Technologies plans to build or buy a manufacturing plant in Brazil in the coming months, the telecom company's top local executive said yesterday.

Huawei Brasil chief executive Li Ke said local laws governing operating, coupled with the taxes, will likely spur the OEM to internally build handsets and tablets, the Wall Street Journal is reporting today. Historically, Huawei has contracted much of its manufacturing outside of China to major EMS firms, reportedly Flextronics and Foxconn.

Forecasts call for Huawei to generate some $1.8 billion in revenue from Brazil this year, about 75% for telecommunication and IT infrastructure equipment. Handsets and terminals are a higher-growth segment, however, with revenue forecast to jump 80% this year.