Huawei wins first mobile-phone equipment order in UK

BEIJING, May 9 (Bloomberg): Huawei Technologies Co, China's biggest phone equipment maker, won its first major wireless network order in the U.K. from Everything Everywhere, the venture between Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) and France Telecom SA. (FTE) Huawei signed a four-year contract to upgrade the U.K. company's mobile network equipment, the Shenzhen, China-based company said in a statement today. The deal will also enable London-based Everything Everywhere to prepare for high-speed mobile-data services. Financial details weren't disclosed. After starting off in China's rural communications market and then expanding through Asia and Africa, Huawei is now looking to grow in Europe and the U.S. to further close the gap with market leader Ericsson AB. Huawei is aiming to boost revenue to about 199 billion yuan ($31 billion) this year from 185 billion yuan last year, the company said last month. "This contract marks a very significant milestone in the evolution of the U.K. mobile market and represents yet another major breakthrough for Huawei in the European tier-one wireless service provider arena," said Victor Zhang, chief executive officer of Huawei's U.K. unit. Huawei had previously won part of a contract with BT Group Plc for fixed-line broadband gear in 2005.