30 April 2007
SHANGHAI, China -- China's ZTE announced a $200-million deal with Ethiopia's state-owned telecoms group just ahead of the release of seven abducted Chinese workers in the African nation, a statement said Monday.
The agreement signed Saturday with Ethiopia Telecom Corp. proposes to build up the East African nation's fledgling telecommunications network, a statement issued by ZTE to the Shenzhen bourse said.
The signing includes the first phase of fiber transmission backbone, expansion of mobile phone services, and the expansion of wireless telephone operations.
State-owned ZTE will install 1.2 million mobile telephone lines in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa and eight other towns, it said.
The announcement came before the Chinese workers kidnapped during last week's attack on an oil plant run by China's oil giant Sinopec in eastern Ethiopia were released late Sunday.
The clash carried out by the Ogaden National Liberation Front left 68 Ethiopian workers and nine Chinese dead.
China has said that despite the incident it remains fully committed to investing in Africa.
SHANGHAI, China -- China's ZTE announced a $200-million deal with Ethiopia's state-owned telecoms group just ahead of the release of seven abducted Chinese workers in the African nation, a statement said Monday.
The agreement signed Saturday with Ethiopia Telecom Corp. proposes to build up the East African nation's fledgling telecommunications network, a statement issued by ZTE to the Shenzhen bourse said.
The signing includes the first phase of fiber transmission backbone, expansion of mobile phone services, and the expansion of wireless telephone operations.
State-owned ZTE will install 1.2 million mobile telephone lines in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa and eight other towns, it said.
The announcement came before the Chinese workers kidnapped during last week's attack on an oil plant run by China's oil giant Sinopec in eastern Ethiopia were released late Sunday.
The clash carried out by the Ogaden National Liberation Front left 68 Ethiopian workers and nine Chinese dead.
China has said that despite the incident it remains fully committed to investing in Africa.
© Middle East Times 2007
