Devices powered by the fledgling Firefox OS make up more than 12 per cent of smartphone sales in Venezuela and almost 9 per cent in Colombia, according to the Telefonica executive leading the operator’s role in the project.

Yotam Ben-Ami, director of Open Web Devices at the operator, also told CNET that sales in Spain are “tracking our forecasts”.

Devices went on sale in Colombia and Venezuela in August 2013, supported by tariffs designed to encourage users to explore mobile data.

With Android and iOS dominating, Firefox OS is targeting the entry-level smartphone segment, where “we believe this is the price point where we can create value for our customers with the early iterations of the platform,” the Telefonica executive observed.

Telefonica’s Vivo launched the Firefox-powered LG Fireweb and Alcatel Onetouch Fire in Brazil this week, opening another potentially massive market for the platform. Telefonica also plans to launch the OS in Peru, Uruguay and Mexico.

“We have set similar targets for Brazil in terms of market shares captured as we have for other key markets in our footprint, but through sheer volume alone this is clearly an important launch for us”, Ben-Ami told CNET.

Firefox OS device sales are currently being led by the ZTE-manufactured Open (pictured) and Alcatel OneTouch Fire.