Huawei sales stumbled in 2009, forecasting near flat revenues for 2010

Having rocked the mobile infrastructure world with growth rates in excess of 40 per cent over the past five years, Huawei has admitted that 2009 was a near disaster--in relative terms--having only achieved y-o-y growth of 17.5 per cent. The company has also confirmed it expects to see sales increase by around 20 per cent this year, having been hit hard by plummeting international orders in 2009. The firm's overseas sales accounted for over 53 per cent of its total last year, down from 75 per cent in 2008.

While these figures have yet to be audited, the numbers are expected to compare very favourably with its major rivals, Ericsson, NSN and Alcatel-Lucent, who will start to report their 2009 results later this month.

Observers have conceded Huawei's y-o-y growth rate is even more remarkable given the traumatic market conditions the company has faced over the past 12 months as operators savagely cut back network Capex. Most analysts believe the market for network equipment and associated software and services fell by around 10 per cent during 2009.

What the company is most likely planning is to announce at next month's MWC an update to the many LTE trials it has become involved with and confirmation of further contracts.

For more on this story:
Interfax China

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