Jiangxi Mobile Communications Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of China Mobile (HK) Ltd., had signed an agreement worth US$60 million with Nokia for the next phase of its GSM network expansion, the companies announced Monday.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Finland-based telecommunication giant will supply its latest GSM core and radio-access network infrastructure to its Chinese counterpart, along with network planning, installation and software maintenance services.

“We are pleased to be working with our strategic partner, Nokia, given their advanced mobile technologies and expertise,” said Huang Rigao, general manager of Jiangxi Mobile.

James Lin, a senior executive with Nokia China, said he hoped “the latest network expansion will support Jiangxi’s continuous business growth and new subscriber requirements.”

Deliveries had already begun in a bid to bring the new capacity into use as soon as possible, Lin added.

Jiangxi Mobile is one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of China Mobile (HK), one of the world’s largest GSM operators.

(Shenzhen Daily September 28, 2004)