ZTE Corporation (Shenzhen: 000063, Hong Kong: 0763), the fastest growing global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, has won a contract with Nigeria´s largest telecoms operator, Nitel, to expand the country´s CDMA network.

The contract was awarded to ZTE following a successful 10,000 line trial in the city of Maiduguri, which was completed in June.

Under the agreement, ZTE will provide a further 130,000 lines of CDMA equipment for the network expansion. The network, due for completion by February 2006, will cover seven major states of northeast Nigeria - Bauchi, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe and Borno. It will offer voice, data, SMS and Internet, and ZTE´s patented GoTa (Global open Trunking architecture) -based PTT (Push-to-talk) services.  

"This contract win continues our momentum in the African market," said Mr Xiao Minghua, marketing manager of ZTE Nigeria. "ZTE is now providing advanced telecoms equipment and solutions to more than 20 countries across the continent."

"The Nitel network will mainly employ all-IP technology. This significantly reduces the need for large quantities and categories of boards, and improves system integration, thereby lowering the operator´s costs. Also, the all-IP technology will enable Nitel to enjoy a large measure of flexibility in networking, transmission, management and maintenance of the network," added Mr. Xiao.

ZTE also has signed a contract for providing 13,000 CDMA terminals including handsets and FWT(Fixed Wireless Terminal) to Nitel.

"Nitel believes that ZTE´s technological and engineering excellence enables the company to outperform its rivals, and will help Nitel bring modern mobile telecommunications to subscribers who have previously had only limited communications access," remarked Mr Y.M.Dangiwa, project manager of Nitel.

The Nitel contract increases ZTE´s presence in Africa. In the last three months alone, ZTE has won a contract with Kasapa Telecom Ltd, a subsidiary of Hutchison Telecom to install Ghana´s first CDMA network, and signed an agreement with Angolan fixed line operator Mundo Startel to install Africa´s first CDMA2000-based NGN.

ZTE CDMA systems have already been deployed in more than 20 African countries including Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Zambia, Algeria, and Ethiopia. To date, ZTE has deployed 25 million CDMA lines in 60 countries around the world.