On June 17, Nokia went public with a deal to provide GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network expansion for the Indian mobile unit of Hutchison Whampoa, which will make it the largest network vendor in the country. The news came right on the heels of last month's announcement that Nokia had secured a three-year, US$275 million outsourcing and maintenance contract from India's second largest mobile services provider, Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd.

 

The deal gives Nokia exclusive rights to supply equipment for nine of Hutchison's 13 license areas within the country. Presently, Hutchinson can claim about 5.6 million of the country's total customer base, but it is aiming to reach 8 million by the end of the year and has invested 18 billion rupees (US$396 million) to that end. Nokia's announcement did not include any details about how much the deal was worth or exactly how many subscribers the equipment contract would cover.