Samsung, ZTE win CDMA handset order from China Telecom

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, South Korea's top electronics manufacturer, was reported to have won 20% of China Telecom's<728> CDMA handset procurement tender, according to sources.

China Telecom intends to purchase 5 million CDMA handsets. ZTE Corp<000063><763>, a leading Chinese telecom equipment and cell phone producer, gained about 18% of the tender, handset maker Hisense won 10% and Motorola 3%.

At the end of last month, ZTE has gained 40% of China Telecom's RMB 27.9 billion order of CDMA equipment tender, and the rest was obtained by Huawei and Alcatel-Lucent, with 40% and 20% respectively.

The procurement was part of China Telecom's plan of promoting its mobile services, which requires upgraded CDMA network coverage in 82 regions across the country. The Chinese telecom carrier also aims to make its network quality comparable to that of China Mobile<941> by 2009, according to Yang Jie, China Telecom's deputy general manager.