Chinese vendor Huawei is in the running to win a major Australian mobile network deal with Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA).
VHA is finalizing a tender for its managed services and core network, company spokesperson Tyrone O’Neill told telecomasia.net.
VHA is the 50/50 joint venture formed last year out of the merger of Vodafone Australia and Hutchison Telecom Australia.
Incumbent vendors Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks are in the race for the 2G/3G contract, while Huawei was also invited to join the request for proposal (RFP).
The presence of the aggressive Shenzhen-based vendor, which has yet to win a major Australian wireless network contract, is certain to push down the prices of the bids.
O’Neill says the winning vendor will be announced in the “coming weeks.”
Ericsson is 3’s main network supplier and is also Vodafone’s 2G and regional 3G network vendor.
NSN equipment was used by Vodafone for its urban 3G network.
The networks of Vodafone and 3 are still run independently of each other.
Separately, VHA is reviewing its radio network strategy (including base stations) and that entails talking with its current network partners, Telstra and Optus, says O’Neill.
But he says VHA is “quite a while away” from wrapping up its review of the radio network contract.