Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co., China's biggest telecommunications equipment producer, forecast its sales in India and 15 other Asian countries would more than double this year.

Revenue in Asia, excluding China, Japan and South Korea, could jump to more than US$1 billion this year from about US$460 million in 2004, Jeffrey Liu, vice president of Huawei's Asia-Pacific business, said. Huawei planned to add more than 10 customers in the region this year, said Liu.

Armed with cheaper manufacturing costs, Huawei and another Shenzhen-based ZTE Corp., China's second-biggest equipment maker, are expected to increase their combined market share to 13 percent by the end of the decade from 3.4 percent this year.

Huawei might add four to five more Asian telecom operators as customers within this year, on top of the six that it already gained in the first half, Liu said.

Huawei said in February total sales might soar by more than a third to US$7.5 billion this year on rising exports and increased spending by domestic phone companies. Combined revenue last year rose 45 percent to a record US$5.58 billion as exports more than doubled, Huawei spokesman Fu Jun said Feb. 1.

The company said it planned to boost overseas orders this year by 75 percent to US$4 billion. Domestic orders rose 18 percent to US$3.3 billion last year from US$2.78 billion a year earlier, Fu said.

(Shenzhen Daily June 15, 2005)