Chinese telecommunications companies Huawei and ZTE will help Softbank build it’s new 4G network. Softbank announced the new 110 Mbps network at an event yesterday, saying that it would launch in November.
The network will based on the AXGP format, which is compatible with the Chinese LTE TDD standard that Apple will reportedly support.
The announcement of the joint contract revealed what might be an underlying drama between Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE. The latter had an interesting choice of words regarding the announcment, saying that it is the “primary strategic partner” for Softbank in building the new network, this according to a Bloomberg report.
Huawei had no such comment about the extent of its partnership, but its press release made no mention of ZTE. To be fair, there’s nothing that says it has to) — I just thought it was an interesting omission. When contacted Huawei by Penn Olson this evening, Huawei could not disclose the size of the contract, and not surprisingly, it declined to comment on its competitor’s comment.
It’s not insignificant that earlier this year Huawei sued ZTE alleging patent infringement relating to its LTE technology.
On a related note, both of these Shenzhen-based companies are expected to lead the smartphone industry in growth this year. For Huawei in particular, this venture in Japan is another example of how the company is stepping up its business operations overseas in comparison to at home (see right).
[Photo: mycom.co.jp, ascii.jp, Chart data from Huawei.com, PDF]
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