SHENZHEN-BASED Huawei Technologies Co., China s biggest telecommunications equipment maker, forecast it would beat Ericsson AB to become the top producer of gear for the next generation of mobile phone networks.
We have confidence we are better than others, we are better than No. 2, Ying Weimin, president of closely held Huawei s business devoted to the fourth-generation wireless technology known as long-term evolution, said in an interview in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Globally, we believe we have the best market position.
The comments underscore growing confidence among Chinese equipment makers challenging Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks in the US$38 billion market for phone gear such as routers and switches. Huawei and cross-town rival ZTE Corp. were set to capture half of industry orders in five years, compared with about 30 percent now, because they had caught up with Western rivals in terms of technology, said Jim Tang, an analyst at Shanghai-based Shenyin Wanguo Securities Co.
Huawei and ZTE are truly emerging powerhouses in the telecommunications arena, Sanjay Kapoor, chief executive officer of Bharti Airtel Ltd., India s largest mobile phone operator and a Huawei customer, told the Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong yesterday.
Huawei increased research and development spending 27 percent to US$1.95 billion last year across Asia, North America and Europe, according to data supplied by the company. Huawei, which describes itself as 100 percent owned by its employees, reported sales of US$21.8 billion and net income of US$2.7 billion last year.(SD-Agencies)
