ZTE Corp has won a US$400 million contract to supply mobile-phone network equipment to an Indian carrier, China's biggest public telecommunications equipment maker said today.

According to the deal, ZTE will provide GSM (global system for mobile communications) equipment to Aircel, a subsidiary of multi-national carrier Maxis Communications. Aircel is India's No. 5 carrier with 110 million users, ZTE said in an e-mail statement.

From 2009 to 2011, Maxis will invest an additional US$4 to US$5 billion in the Indian market, a region with one of the highest growth rates for mobile penetration worldwide.

"Maxis had a successful experience in 3G and the GSM deal will help us get further deals (with Maxis) in the future," ZTE said in the statement.

The Shenzhen-based equipment maker gained market shares in GSM and WCDMA (wide-band code division multiple access) in the third quarter, through cooperation with mainstream carriers like Vodafone.

(Xinhua News Agency, Shanghai Daily October 14, 2008)