ZTE
has also signed a contract with India's SSTL (Sistema Shayam Teleservices) to supply
wireless and core network equipment for the mobile operator, according to a May
13 Dow Jones report. Although the financial details of the contract were not
disclosed, it is reported that the deal will last over a period of seven years.
SSTL is a joint venture between Russia's Sistema and India's Shyam Group, and
the company is currently providing mobile communications services in three Indian
telecom circles - Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala - under the brand name of
MTS (Mobile TeleSystems). SSTL also plans to launch a pan-India network, slated
for completion by the third quarter of 2010.