Tunisia is to install the most advanced mobile telecommunications network in Africa, with the help of ZTE.

Two of its key cities–Tunis and Sousse–are to receive WCDMA equipment from ZTE in a contract that will see 3G technology in commercial applications in the second half of 2005. The contract, with Tunisia's PTT CERT, demonstrates that ZTE has become one of a few vendors anywhere in the world totally equipped to help operators build their 3G networks. It also marks ZTE's first 3G network win outside of China.

Tunis is to be the host of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2005. It is expected that by this time over 20,000 delegates from 190 countries will use ZTE's WCDMA equipment to enjoy 3G services such as streaming media, video telephony, high-speed internet access, MMS, VOD, JAVA and WAP. Sousse is Tunisia's most famous tourist resort, attracting millions of European visitors every year with its sunshine and seashore. With the new 3G network, visitors from Europe will also be able to use world-class 3G services.

For the project, ZTE will not only provide its 3GPP R4-based end-to-end WCDMA network, but also its most advanced wireless R&D ¨C WCDMA+ Wi-Fi. Helping operators to construct a revenue-generating network is the primary objective of ZTE's customer service program. In this project, ZTE took into consideration the future development of the whole network by using the existing network to achieve wider coverage in Sousse, Monastir, and Mahdia, without adding any infrastructure cost to the operator.