China’s top telecommunications equipment manufacturer, Shanghai Bell Ltd, has won two major contracts, each worth about $230m, to export equipment to Bangladesh and Iraq. They are the largest export orders ever won by a Chinese manufacturer. For the Bangladesh contract, Shanghai Bell will provide the entire digital switching capacity for 216,000 lines. The deal also includes 26 microwave stations, 1,000 km of fibre-optic cable and 5,800 km of conventional cable to link up Bangladesh’s 59 largest cities and towns. Fewer details were available of the project in Iraq, but a company spokesman said it will use similar equipment and will be engineered to handle 215,000 lines. Shanghai Bell, established in 1984 as a Sino-Belgian venture, is now 40% by Alcatel Belgium Bell and the rest by Chinese interests.
